Tiffon Cognac, Chateau de Triac, Reserve de la Famille

• 40% ABV, £100 for 70cl
• Score: 91/100

What they say:

This exquisite cognac comes from the vineyards around the castle Château de Triac, and has a maturing period of fifty years or more. The tasting profile includes notes of oak and rancio, complex spice notes, intense fruit aromas.

Based at the magnificent Chateau de Triac, just 5 kms from the town of Jarnac, home to the Tiffon family who has been running the property since 1875. It encompasses 40 hectares of Grande Champagne and Fins Bois vines, overseen by cellar master Richard Braastad, who comes from an old cognac-makers family. Cognac Tiffon Distillery

What I say:

Intended as sample #2 in the Whisky Lounge #WhiskyWeekender tweet tasting organised and hosted by Steve Rush (@TheWhiskyWire) and the Whisky Lounge (@TheWhiskyLounge).

Colour:

Cherry red/Amber

Nose:

Sweet cherry and sherry aromas, red fruits, high estery and ketoney aroma like pear drops but sweeter, with undertones of fruity red wine, cherry bubblegum or cherry lips sweets, freshly used rubber eraser and old wooden school desks, plums stewed in a little spice linger

Taste:

Delicately smooth and incredibly well-balanced, this is red apple juice and cherry liqueur (Kirsch or Guignolet), cinnamon flavour (not spice) and caramelised sugar (like the top of a crème brulee), finally a hint of wooden barrique peaks through suggestive of light-bodied fruity red wine (Beaujolais)

Finish:

Medium long and slightly ethereal, a balance of sweet fruit and oaked wood tickle the tongue

Would I buy it:

If I were buying a Cognac drinker a present I would definitely be happy to give them this as a fine example. Simply delicious! I don’t have much experience with fine French cognac, and tend to prefer my Brandy a little sweeter and meatier (e.g. Soberano) and use it mostly for cocktail making (Soberano Libre). I wouldn’t be too upset if someone bought this Tiffon Cognac for me though!