Famille Dupont "Cask Finished Collection - No 4 . Islay Whisky Casks" Pays D'Auge Apple brandy (Decertified Calvados) (750ml)

Calvados is near and dear to my heart and this beautiful estate being one of my favorite to visit. In a region that avoids unusual or out of the norm, Dupont has become somewhat of an iconoclast. The youthful exuberance that the estate exudes is absolutely infectious and is the continued work of the visionary who brought these expressions together, Jerome Dupont. Sadly, our dear friend Jerome passed prematurely in 2018, but his vision for adding a new chapter to the Calvados story lives on. Very few people in the industry were more passionate, thoughtful and kind as Jerome. He's deeply missed here at K&L, but his legacy lives on through these incredible brandies. And this is technically not Calvados because they've used American oak to finish this brandy, but by any logical measure it is Calvados. Let's have a taste. The color is white wine (0.1). A lovely balance between crisp classical Calva flavors, quite crispy on first nosing with the baked apple note dominating at first. Further aeration reveals a good deal of depth and a buttery flakey pie crust note, sweet pear compote, hints of savory spice and briny smoke behind it all. There is this unusual connection with the feeling of being in a Calvados distillery, the funk of all that ferment, that peeks through thanks to the wisps of peat, which weirdly brings me back to France rather than Scotland. It's this slight medicinal note that is obviously a result of the Scotch whisky but doesn't divest itself from its core character on the nose. In fact, the note slowly melds into an almost honeysuckle floral aromatic. On the palate, the whisky is more pronounced but still does nothing to overpower the gorgeous apple character. Medium bodied and supple on the palate with a soft easy finish. This is an incredible value at nearly 50% off the original price. A perfect grab for any spirit lover, but not so weird that it will scare people away.