Busnel Fine Calvados Pays d'Auge (75cl, 40%)

Busnel Fine is an apple brandy from the Pays d'Auge, the highest-ranked Calvados appellation in Normandy. It is the youngest expression in the Busnel range, aged for a minimum of two years. The house draws on a tradition going back to 1820 and uses more than twenty apple varieties grown on the Pays d'Auge's varied soils of sand, silt, clay and chalk. Bitter and bittersweet apples bring tannin, sweet ones bring sugar, and sour ones bring freshness. The nose is fresh orchard fruit, with ripe apple and a floral lift. The palate is bright and fruit-forward within a light frame of oak, and the finish is clean and crisp.