Malternative Belgium Cognac #3 “La corbeille de fruits” 40,1%

MALTERNATIVE BELGIUM COGNAC #3 JEAN-LUC PASQUET LOT 62 (cask 1) P.C 40,1%

La Corbeille de Fruits (The Fruit Basket)

A 58yo Petite Champagne aged in a humid cellar, selected by Jean-Luc Pasquet for Malternative Belgium. This one is cask #1 of Lot 62. You’ll also discover my tasting notes on the other casks, including the cask #2 for Serious Brandy. Let’s begin with this one! 

Colour: Old gold, brown lights. Heavy irregular tears.

Nose: Candied exotic fruits. Red berries sweets. Stewed bananas. A nice rancio. Fruit paste with its typical sugariness. So much finesse and opulence at the same time. Cherry jam. Candied pears. Banana sweets. Licorice sweets. A bit delicate of praline notes and cocoa powder too. Apricots jam. Caramel sweets. Arlequin sweets! It’s too inviting to resist, I have to taste this Corbeille de Fruits! Some almond pear, with its fresh, syrupy, and nutty notes. Stop it! 

Palate: Very sweet and oily texture.  Mango juice. Cherry sweets. Licorice sweets. Too drinkable to be sold as alcohol! I mean, is this cognac or fruit juice? A great freshness too. Acidulous notes. Watermelon juice. Apricots juice. A little buttery. Rancio notes are mostly on fruits for this one. Pear cake. Multi-fruits juice. Candied figs and raisins. It reminds me of some aspects of the specific fruitiness of the Grosperrin 1959. But it is way fruitier. Fresh kiwi juice. This Corbeille de Fruits is extremely addictive. 

Last Notes: With more air, banana syrup smells. Tarte Tatin. Tinned pears. Pineapple juice. Apricot juice. Hints of floral scents: rose water, a nice touch of lavender and violet. Then it’s back on fruits, of course! Caramelized peaches. Prunes cake as there is a little of pastry notes too. But fresh fruits and fruit juices have the best part of the nose. Banana liquor. Still a great freshness on menthol and fresh licorice. Exquisite! 

And the palate? Tinned plums and pears. Raspberries juice. Blackcurrant juice with its typical bitterness/dryness. Even the texture matches this impression, reinforced by some grapefruit juice aromas.  Still very candied. Banana fruit paste. Fig jam. Licorice sweets. Strawberries salad with its mint leaves and its sugary/acidulous juice. Magnificent. Hints of milk chocolate notes. Pineapple cake for sure. It reminds me a lot of the stunning fruitiness of some old malts, especially a Lochside 1967 (by Coopers Choice if I’m not mistaken)…It ends on peach syrup, black currant juice, and licorice sweets. 

La Corbeille de Fruits kept its promises. This Lot 62 is fruity, of course, but more than that it is a monument of finesse and precision. Each aroma is delivered by little touch with a great richness. The low ABV (40,1%, humid cellars you know) hides a huge potential. Can’t wait to taste the other casks…

My very subjective note: 91/100

More info on La Corbeille de Fruits (Malternative Belgium website)