What they say

The youth of the Pays d’Auge.

Produced in the Pays d’Auge from bitter, bitter-sweet, sweet and sharp cider apples by double distillation in copper stills, Réserve des Fiefs is a blend of several Calvados mostly aged in small used oak casks.

Official tasting notes

• It offers a harmonious balance between the dominant fruit fragrance and the first spicy notes.

What I say

Selecting out a couple of Malternatives (I feel I may owe Serge royalty for using that term?). This is the entry level or Reserve Calvados from Christian Drouin. Aged for a minimum of 3 years and interestingly matured in small, refill French oak casks. From my visits to other producers I was led to believe that distillate for younger expressions was usually matured in new casks where possible. As it ages the spirit is sequentially re-racked into greater and greater use refills to minimise the cask effect or prevent old expressions becoming too woody. I presume here the refills are used based on activity as Drouin still want the spirit to mature enough in such a short time.

• ABV 40%
• Age Reserve (3 years minimum)
• Bottler Christian Drouin
• Bottling Reserve des Fiefs
• Cask French Oak
• Category Calvados Pay’s d’Auge
• Cost £52.13 from MoM (affiliate link)
• Origin Calvados Christian Drouin
• Outturn undisclosed
• Region Calvados
• Released undisclosed
• Vintage undisclosed

My tasting notes

• Appearance Yellow old (8/20), slow, oily, medium tears and tapered, fine legs.
• Nose Sweet, apples, vanilla, custard, fresh, floral honeysuckle, honey, touch of citric lemon and lime curd, creamy, oak wood.
• Taste Creamy and sweet, apple Danish or Turnover pastries, custard, vanilla, apple pie, cinnamon later, quite spicy with white pepper also, becomes buttery on a mid-light bodied palate, honey, floral and banana milkshake.
• Finish Long, sweet then dry, honey and cinnamon persist.
• Overall Superb, creamy textured and vibrantly fruity this has something of a curd or yoghurty nature and the youth comes through as banana milkshake (estery and creamy). A great insight into Drouin’s base spirit nature.

Score 84/100

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