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Have pulled the trigger on some biggies that I've been eyeing a while. Will be a smaller haul in February and March, but that's just fine.
1. Jean Grosperrin Borderies No. 28: This is a 90-yo cognac (1928 vintage, aged in casks the whole time rather than a transfer to glass at any point, and bottled in 2018) that has gotten tremendous praise from several commentators. This is the biggie of this lot. It's pretty remarkable to find something so old from this cru (Borderies is the smallest of them) at such a high ABV (53.8%) and with such a reputation. I have a 1925 Grosperrin from Grande Champagne, which is outstanding, but I'm not sure if it was in oak the whole time--kind of doubt it.
2. Bertrand Heritage Petite Champagne: The eau-de-vie that was aged to make this cognac from the Petite Champagne cru is apparently from the 1960s. They don't give a vintage, but it seems to be pretty reliable information. I've similarly heard great things about this, and it's a producer with which I don't have any experience, so I'm happy to try them out for the first time. Always glad to see the smaller guys doing their own bottlings of single estate stuff rather than just selling to the big houses.
3. Foursquare 2007 12 yo Cask Strength: One of the premier rum producers according to folks who are more into it than I am. What makes me excited about this one is it seems to draw equal praise from both whisky critics and guys who are primarily into rum--good sign that the palate appeals to just about any spirits lover. Another plus is that it's pretty inexpensive: I'm paying a hair over $70 for this one exclusive of shipping (these first three are all ordered from FineDrams in Belgium who has great prices, $55 shipping for the lot). I've definitely picked up interest in brandy and rum over the past year, but rum has lagged behind a little bit in terms of my knowledge. Hoping to rectify that. This will be my first Barbados rum (other ones in the collection are from Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and a blend of British Caribbean distilleries). In 2021, I hope to continue to branch out. Early candidates are Chairman's Reserve from Saint Lucia, Clairin Casimir from Haiti, and Worthy Park from Jamaica.
4. Vallein-Tercinier XO "Buche de Noel" (Malternative Belgium): I already have a decent amount of experience with this producer, owning a VT Grande Champagne Lot 90 (1990 vintage) and a Maltbarn bottling of VT Bons Bois Lot 86 (1986 vintage--you see the code, I bet). The former is fucking fantastic and it was the first cognac I bought a couple years ago. The latter is much more recent, but it seems to be pretty damn good, too--need more time with it. This is a multi-cru blend with an average age around 20 years. I'm a big fan of this Belgian bottler, also owning a 1960 Chollet Fins Bois from them. Really dig the labels, including the one here. This particular bottling is supposed to be a heavier, "Christmas style" cognac, which is in contrast to the normal VT style of light honeyed fruitiness. Eager to try it, and another one that's a bang-for-the-buck bottle ($145 or so all-in with the shipping from Europe).
1. Jean Grosperrin Borderies No. 28: This is a 90-yo cognac (1928 vintage, aged in casks the whole time rather than a transfer to glass at any point, and bottled in 2018) that has gotten tremendous praise from several commentators. This is the biggie of this lot. It's pretty remarkable to find something so old from this cru (Borderies is the smallest of them) at such a high ABV (53.8%) and with such a reputation. I have a 1925 Grosperrin from Grande Champagne, which is outstanding, but I'm not sure if it was in oak the whole time--kind of doubt it.
2. Bertrand Heritage Petite Champagne: The eau-de-vie that was aged to make this cognac from the Petite Champagne cru is apparently from the 1960s. They don't give a vintage, but it seems to be pretty reliable information. I've similarly heard great things about this, and it's a producer with which I don't have any experience, so I'm happy to try them out for the first time. Always glad to see the smaller guys doing their own bottlings of single estate stuff rather than just selling to the big houses.
3. Foursquare 2007 12 yo Cask Strength: One of the premier rum producers according to folks who are more into it than I am. What makes me excited about this one is it seems to draw equal praise from both whisky critics and guys who are primarily into rum--good sign that the palate appeals to just about any spirits lover. Another plus is that it's pretty inexpensive: I'm paying a hair over $70 for this one exclusive of shipping (these first three are all ordered from FineDrams in Belgium who has great prices, $55 shipping for the lot). I've definitely picked up interest in brandy and rum over the past year, but rum has lagged behind a little bit in terms of my knowledge. Hoping to rectify that. This will be my first Barbados rum (other ones in the collection are from Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and a blend of British Caribbean distilleries). In 2021, I hope to continue to branch out. Early candidates are Chairman's Reserve from Saint Lucia, Clairin Casimir from Haiti, and Worthy Park from Jamaica.
4. Vallein-Tercinier XO "Buche de Noel" (Malternative Belgium): I already have a decent amount of experience with this producer, owning a VT Grande Champagne Lot 90 (1990 vintage) and a Maltbarn bottling of VT Bons Bois Lot 86 (1986 vintage--you see the code, I bet). The former is fucking fantastic and it was the first cognac I bought a couple years ago. The latter is much more recent, but it seems to be pretty damn good, too--need more time with it. This is a multi-cru blend with an average age around 20 years. I'm a big fan of this Belgian bottler, also owning a 1960 Chollet Fins Bois from them. Really dig the labels, including the one here. This particular bottling is supposed to be a heavier, "Christmas style" cognac, which is in contrast to the normal VT style of light honeyed fruitiness. Eager to try it, and another one that's a bang-for-the-buck bottle ($145 or so all-in with the shipping from Europe).
