Christian Drouin 19 ans d'âge Foursquare Angels Calvados Pays d'Auge (70cl, 46.8%)

A nineteen-year-old Calvados Pays d'Auge from Christian Drouin, given a two-stage finishing. For the eighth release in the Expérimental range, a seventeen-year-old Calvados was aged for a further seventeen months in eight French oak casks that had previously held rum from the family-run Foursquare distillery in Barbados. It then spent three months in freshly toasted casks to strengthen roundness and structure. The rum casks brought vanilla and brown sugar, so mature apple fruit meets tropical and spicy impressions. The small batch of 2,396 bottles was bottled in June 2023 at 46.8% in a 70cl bottle, without chill filtration or colouring and without a gift box. The nose has ripe and roasted apples with delicate vanilla, creamy caramel and brown sugar. The palate is soft and rich, with tropical fruits, dark chocolate and mild spices. The long, powerful finish shows pine nuts and almonds.