Riding on 2 cognacs waves
#1
Swell de Spirits #1 Fins Bois N°52-22 46,6%
An alternative version of the delicious 52-22? Well, well, well, that sounds pretty good, isn’t it?
Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Heavy irregular tears.
Nose: Very heady and flowery entrance. Quite chalky too. It remains very flowery with lingering violet syrup notes. It gets elegant fruit scents on marasquin cherry and tinned plums. Nice menthol notes in the background. Magnificent tropical fruits notes, mainly on banana stew. Heavy licorice sweets smells now. Truly a great nose.
Mouth: Oily texture with strong grenadine aromas at first. Nice rancio with various shades on overripe fruity notes (mango, papaya) and umami shades(salted soy sauce). Great mouth length underlined by a strong spiciness on Sichuan Pepper and nutmeg. Heavy red fruits notes on strawberry tart and marasquin cherry. Few acidulous shades on blackcurrant juice. It ends on fig and rhubarb jam. Simply magnificent.
Last Notes: Still full of tropical fruits (passion fruits, banana) with hints of herbs on rosemary and basil. Nice nutty pastry notes on almond paste and walnut pie. Hint of leathery scents in the background. Yummy raspberry syrup notes too. Back on the palate, you find a great mix of nougat notes and blackberry jam aromas. A tad tea-ish but less than the OB version. It remains quite spicy with a full spoon of cinnamon. It goes on delicious dried figs and raisins aromas.
Maybe a bit less wild than Grosperrin’s version but what a kind of Fins Bois! Everything is given with shades and elegance. Nice fruitiness and freshness, and an unexpected chalkiness in the nose part.
92/100
Grosperrin Fins Bois N°52-22 46,5%
I’m still fascinated by this incredible rancio.
A tad more leathery and rancioted than the previous tasting session but it’s quite the same, not many shades in addition.
92+/100
#2
GRosperrin Borderies N°64 53,3%
I’ve already reviewed it on Hors d’Age, but it wasn’t the bottled version (Lot 843, 53,3%). So here are my definitive tasting notes on this very special one from the Borderies.
Colour: Amber, gold lights. Irregular heavy tears.
Nose: Quite heady on candied citruses at first immediately followed by flower scents, mainly lavender and potpourri. Heavy fruit scents on cherry syrup and passion fruit juice. Even fruitier than the cask sample, with marvelous litchi juice and mango cake smells. Generous fresh spice and herbal notes on cardamom and angelic roots.
Mouth: Syrupy/oily texture. Great fruity rancio underlined by sweet chocolate notes. Perfect height for this strong ABV (53,3%). Light umami aromas on white truffle followed by generous roasted notes on bitter chocolate, toffee, and cocoa powder. Quite minty in the aftertaste.
Last Notes: Nice violet blossom scents with more air. A tad earthier now with dried leaves underlined by fresh herbal notes on basil and mint. Still fruity on banana stew, but yes, it’s definitively drier than the beginning, as you get chalky and roasted notes. Great red fruit aromas followed by mineral notes. Everything is delivered with finesse. It ends on caramelized peaches and tinned plums.
Still one of my favorite Borderies. Such a banger full of complexity.
91+/100
Swell de Spirits Borderies N°65 56,7%
So here is Swell de Spirits first expression from the Borderies. N65, 56,7%(!) and bottled in November 2021. Let’s go!
Colour: Amber, gold lights. Regular very heavy tears.
Nose: Full of tropical fruits and herbs at first. Roasted pineapple scents melted to cedar wood, pinesap, and parsley. Quite flowery with a bit of air, but more on jasmine and rosewater when you compare it to the N64. Very rum-like in some aspects. A nice touch of salinity on olive oil. Great fruity notes in the background, mainly on rhubarb.
Mouth: Oily texture. Delicious entrance on smooth tinned peaches notes and grenadine. Incredible mouth length. Stunning silky red fruits aromas in the aftertaste. Strong prunes liquor notes too counterbalanced by light balsamic shades. It ends on licorice syrup and dried figs.
Last Notes: Strong coffee shades with more air. Heady lingering ristretto notes. It remains very flowery on orange blossom and rosewater. Nice rancio on old malt notes and marasquin cherry. Light dried mushrooms scents too. On the palate, you find this particular old sherry cask patine, following what I previously perceived. You get melted nutty notes, red wine aftertaste and honey wax shades. Way more tea-ish now. It ends with bourbon vanilla and breakfast tea notes.
Generous with a great evolution through the tasting, this Swell de Spirits x Grosperrin N65 requires your full attention. That’s magnificent Borderies for sure. So magnificent that I asked myself if it deserves more than the N64 OB. After a long debate with me, myself, and I, I made a choice.
92/100
Michael Barbaria (Swell de Spirits) interview by RhumAttidude
Swell de Spirits website
Many thanks Bastien and Michael for these two gems (and these cool labels too).
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