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Its absolutely nuts that we're still able to get this stupendous product on the shelf for $35. The simple fact is that apple brandy production is extremely slow and difficult. It requires years and years of waiting for the trees to produce enough fruit for them to be commercially viable. But the Huberts are nonetheless putting exceptionally high quality brandy into great old would and doing it at a very reasonable price. Let's taste it! The first nosing is fragrant and round with soft ripe apple, hints of sweet spices and bake pears. The palate is very zesty and bright, moving more toward your granny smith than the baked pear on the nose. Medium bodied with a super round soft finish. There's tons of character here, so into the cocktails is where this will suit most people, but if you've ever been to Normandy this is as good as anything you'll ever try. It is the perfect thing to put on the table for the "trou" in your holiday dinner. An incredible digestif by any measure.

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.

Pinning down the term hors d’age is a moving target, but this bottling by Michel Huard stands at the older end, with a minimum of 10-year-old spirits, along with a significant percentage that is more than 25 years old. Golden-colored, it opens with a gorgeous, old-time nose - rustic in the best sense of the word. There’s woodiness here, from the nose to the finish, but it’s an attractive virtue, with deep and well-integrated. There’s balanced aromas and flavors of tarte tatin, with notes of pepper and even salted licorice. In the mouth, it’s expansive, like a blanket in the mouth that says 'comfort me with apples' all the way through the long finish. This might be the Calvados to convert a bourbon drinker to the pleasures of apple brandy. An excellent value to boot for such a high-quality spirit. (AOC Calvados, 40% abv.) (JW)

Pays d’Auge Calvados is produced from cider apples and must be double-distilled in traditional pot stills before aging in oak for at least two years. Distilled in 2005, this Domaine Hubert bottling carries a 20-year age statement and was selected as a K&L exclusive.

This is the grand daddy of the Camut Calvados. This contains brandy older than 35 years.

Calvados distilled by Didier Lemorton at La Baillée Fétu in Mantilly, in the Domfrontais Region of Normandy. Distilled from pears (up to 80%) and apples. Single distillation occurs on a traveling, wood-fired column still. The spirit in the "Selection" is aged 3-5 years. Aromas of sage, stewed apple and pear, and brioche transition to a drying palate of tobacco and cinnamon. A hint of crème caramels whispers on the finish. Perfect for Calvados cocktailing. Voted #12 on VinePair’s "50 Best Spirits of 2021" 43% ABV

Founded in 1860, Roger Groult is a family-run Calvados producer based in the Pays d’Auge. This limited-edition 13-year-old release comes from Cask 351. Calvados Pays d’Auge is made from cider apples and must undergo double distillation in traditional pot stills under the appellation’s production rules.

This easy-going, six-year-old from Adrien Camut is so mellow that the drinking experience might seem akin to a reggae beat. Honeyed-gold in color, there’s an affable, round, expressive nose of fresh apple and toffee, and in the mouth it’s rich and mouthcoating, with notes of coffee and chocolate that are balanced by freshness on the midpalate that glides into a lengthy finish. This Calvados is in no hurry. (JW)

Pays d’Auge Calvados is produced by double-distilling cider in traditional copper pot stills under the appellation’s rules. Roger Groult’s Edition Limitée carries a 12-year age statement and identifies cask #172, placing the individual cask at the center of this distinctive Normandy apple brandy release.

An average of seven years old, Manoir de Montreuil Réserve includes some brandies up to 20 years old in the blend. Light golden in color, the nose is full of baking spices, which carries through the palate, along with honey, vanilla, and apple strudel. The overall flavor is subtle, with a note of chalky minerality on the finish. Like the Sélection, this is very drinkable, but the younger expression has a bit more liveliness and verve. Still a good value. (JW)

Domaine du Tertre, producing both cider and small amounts of Calvados, is overseen by brothers Michel and Hubert Havard. In 2017, they became certified organic for their 45+ acres of orchard farming and their cider production. They maintain similar practices for their calvados but forgo certification due to the small size of production. Du Tertre works with 40 different apple varietals, all of which see zero chemical treatment and are harvested from "hautes tiges" (high branch), lower-yielding trees. Ciders are fermented for about a year in used oak and distilled only when the juice is totally free of sugar. Distillation takes place on a ten-plate Orthez column still by a traveling distiller. Age varies by cask but is usually between 15 and 20 years. Always bottled at cask strength with no additives.

Calvados is Normandy’s cider-based brandy, with age statements reflecting maturation in oak. Domaine de Merval’s 2000 “Calico House” is a 24-year-old expression bottled at cask strength. Drawn from a single barrel rather than assembled from multiple casks, this bottling offers a distinctly focused example of long-aged Calvados.

More proof that younger Calvados have a purity and depth missing from many unaged spirts. Three years old, and greenish-yellow in color, this brandy has a gregarious nose, with aromas of apple pie and even pineapple turnover. But on the palate, there is both juicy acidity and an overarching roundness, still at the relatively high alcohol level. Fresh, dry, truly drinkable, both neat and in cocktails. A great value. (AOC Pays d’Auge, 44% abv.) - JW

Ambix Spirit's Newtown Pippin apple brandy features apples grown by Jake Mann at the Five Mile Orchard and features vibrant mountain flower aroma with notes of vanilla and cedar. 100% Newtown Pippin Apples

A phenomenally well-priced 10 year organic Calvados! This is perfect for your casual sipping or serious cocktailing needs. If you want bright fresh apple character, you've found it. Aromas of flowers on the nose with fruit flavors that dance. Pear and vanilla and a clean hint of oak on the palate.