Malternative Belgium SESSION
#1
Malternative Belgium #13 La BoutiQUE Lot 69 45,2%
91/100
So here is another session with Pieter’s selection. This #13 bottling is an old P.C from a secrete cognac house, but the label could be a clue to find it out. Anyway, a 53yo P.C bottled at 45,6% probably has many things to say, doesn’t it?
Colour: Amber, gold. Regular heavy tears.
Nose: Generous nutty scents on roasted almond and pistachio at first, immediately followed by chocolate/caramel sweets smells. Hints of new brand new leather in the background. Quite herbal too. Strong bay leaf and cooked rosemary sprig notes. Light fruity shades on dried figs and prunes. Subtle oaky tones on linseed oil and pinesap. A tad of sour cherry with a little more air.
Palate: Oily/acidulous texture. Elegant rancioted notes on blackcurrant juice. Great mouth length. Nice balance between freshness (peppermint), spiciness (caraway) and fruitiness (watermelon and fresh strawberry). Still herbal notes, this time on thyme and basil. Not as easy as la Corbeille de Fruits but it remains a delicious P.C.
Last Notes: Full of tinned quinces with more air. Heavy licorice syrup notes now. A tad oakier than previously perceived. Still a great freshness, this time on mint tea underlined by candied cedar notes. Back on the palate, you still get yummy herbal notes on freshly cut parsley. Fresh fig aftertaste. The empty glass is full of blackberry jam.
Very refined and elegant P.C. I really like the way this palate unveiled many shades. The perfect one to celebrate the opening of La Boutique!
#2
Malternative Belgium #14 LE bRûlé Daniel Bouju Lot 60 50,5%
88/100
First stop in Saint-Preuil for Malternative Belgium.Coming from the heart of Grande Champagne, Daniel Bouju’s cognacs are well-known for their very dark color, which is something they get with heavily toasted casks. This one is a 62yo G.C bottled at 50,5%…Well, let’s taste Le Brûlé!
Colour: Ebony, bright red lights (very Bouju-y color). Irregular heavy tears.
Nose: Quite oaky, even after 10 minutes in the glass. Full of raisins and plums at first. Very tea-ish on earl grey notes. Light umami scents on dried mushrooms. Full of candied citruses, mainly tangerine and blood orange. Quite heady with a flowery touch on orange blossom. Burnt wood and caramelized nuts notes in the background.
Palate: Sweet and dry texture in the aftertaste. It reminds me a lot of some old sherry bomb whiskies (not the easiest cognac for blind tasting if you ask me) with heavy oaky notes melted to rancioted nutty notes. Balsamic tones in the mouth length underlined by an extra touch of bourbon vanilla. Roasted aromas on dark coffee and roasted chestnuts notes. Still a little tea-ish on black tea. Quite liquoricy too.
Last Notes: Nice tobacco notes with more air surrounded by strong cedar wood scents. A tad flowery on potpourri notes. Strong coffee notes melted to orange peel smells. Back on the palate, you find heavy dried prunes notes. Hints of spices, mainly black pepper. It ends on rooibos and walnut oil.
A tad too oaky in my humble opinion (l was expecting something way more balanced than their Brut de Fut Royal to be honest), but this 62yo G.C has aged very nicely and is carrying a subtle heady(tea-ish) rancio.
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