This exceptional single cask was distilled on Domaine du Coquerel’s small column still from fruit grown on their 50-year-old, estate trees. It was selected by renowned French spirits authority Alexandre Vingtier to be bottled at cask strength for PM Spirits, and it’s a top-tier contender in a category that’s gaining real steam among avid spirits collectors. After all, a single malt Scotch or bourbon with these kinds of specs would easily run you into four-digit territory. As you’d expect, ripe and baked apple and pear dominate the nose with serious concentration and impact, but they’re balanced by a totally captivating floral component of apple blossom and high-toned white lilies. The cask’s age shows clearly in its spicy aromatic core – pungent barrel musk, sandalwood, apple fritter, cinnamon, faint red fruit compote, worn leather, and Thanksgiving apple gravy are part of the complex array that takes 26 years to develop. The palate is brooding, broad, multi-faceted yet approachable, medium to full weight with a viscous middle that carries a little heat. The fruit flavors are decidedly deeper, more rancio, and more age-indicative than the aromas, with apple syrup, spicy mulled cider, and apple vinegar at the forefront. Touches of white pepper, clove, potpourri, dates, and pie crust lead to a slightly medicinal finish, where fascinating, hot-slate minerality plays perfectly with all the intense fruit and spice elements, and a firm tannic structure holds everything together. A flat-out exceptional, fully mature spirit of singular style and substance.
95 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Nov 2025)
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