Castarède is reputed to be the oldest house of armagnac, with almost 190 years of producing spirits, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about fine tipples. To bring you our insightful drinks reviews, we use a combination of tasting sets, miniatures, full-sized bottles, plus visits and toursof distilleries, breweries and wine tastings, plus bars and pubs worldwide. Roughly 98% of Cognac production is exported overseas, whereas 50% of Armagnac production is still consumed in France.

Armagnac XO ch du Tariquet Spirit type - Waitrose Cellar

This tasting set from Drinks by the Dram includes five 3cl samples of some truly fantastic Armagnacs. After several years of ageing in fine grain oak barrels from the most renowned French forests, these eaux-de-vie become Bas-Armagnacs of great finesse and rare elegance.

This way, the estate’s hundred-year-old cellars quietly safeguard about 5,000 barrels of Armagnac which is slowly ageing. The initial brandy is a blend of two 8 year old single casks of baco and ugni blanc armagnac, distilled in 2011. Chocolate notes and plenty of pepper give the palate some punch, as the body meanders its way into a more traditional composition of golden raisins, perfume, and heady incense on the lengthy finish. Made only from the grapes grown on its own estate, this offering from Tariquet is distilled from 60 per cent ugni blanc and 40 per cent baco that is aged for a minimum of 15 years before bottling. Incredibly concentrated, it offers up notes of floral potpourri, baked apple and pear, along with apricot jam, marmalade, and dried fruit notes of fig, date and some mocha.

XO Armagnac Reviews, Ratings And Facts - Best XO Armagnac

This VSOP Armagnac was made by Clés Des Ducs, which roughly translates to "The Keys of the Dukes", which sounds awfully royal and important.To sip, there’s a moody woodiness first, followed by plum, honey, stewed apple, ginger, Christmas cake, and just a hint of something tropical. Founded by restauranteur Francis Darroze, the company sources its armagnac from small estates and producers, before ageing it in its own cellars.

Armagnac de Montal XO : The Whisky Exchange

Petite Champagne, sits astride the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments, around Barbezieux (Charente), Archiac and Jonzac (Charente-Maritime).Castarède produces a broad range of Armagnac’s, including ultra-aged expressions more than a half century old, as well as vintage expressions dating back to 1893. In short, a flavoursome armagnac needn’t break the bank; we’ve focused on the best-value options as well as the best-tasting in our round-up.

Armagnac’s For Brandy Lovers Everywhere 7 Stunning Armagnac’s For Brandy Lovers Everywhere

And frankly, for a liquid this good that’s been sat in the barrel for two decades, it feels like a bargain. When Armagnacs of different ages have been blended, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest component. Tight on the nose with notes of lavender and linen, it’s both floral and industrial in equal measures.Cognac is mainly sold by __four major, world-known Cognac trading houses: Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy-Martin and Martell. Darroze has had multiple bottlings over the last decade so the bottle you find may be anywhere from 48 YO to 55 YO. The natural colour of Domaine Tariquet’s Bas-Armagnacs comes exclusively from the ageing in oak barrels, without any caramel added. An interesting expression from the Delord range, features Bas Armagnac which has been bottled at 45.