Bache-Gabrielsen VSOP Mini

Volume: 0.05 litres | Alcohol content: 40%

Special Features:

Triple Cask maturation gives this VSOP from Bache-Gabrielsen its distinctive character. The blend consists of eaux-de-vie from the Fins Bois and Petite Champagne crus, made exclusively from Ugni-Blanc grapes and matured for at least four years in Limousin oak. The miniature contains 0.05 litres of Cognac at 40% alcohol and comes without gift packaging.

Here, Triple Cask refers to three successive stages of maturation in oak, not three different types of wood. Casks with a capacity of 350 or 400 litres are used first, followed by larger oak casks and finally previously used casks known as Fûts roux. In this final phase, the emphasis is not on extracting further tannins, but on the slow passage of oxygen through the wood. This allows the Cognac to become smoother and develop its rounded, silky character.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, mature wood notes and vanilla meet dried apricots and dates. Almonds and hazelnuts complete the bouquet.
• Palate: The Cognac is fruity and elegant on the palate. Its rounded, silky character combines the fruitiness of Fins Bois with the elegance of Petite Champagne.
• Finish: Banana and oriental spices emerge on the finish. Pleasant fruit and subtle oak spice linger.

Distillery/Bottler:

Bache-Gabrielsen combines Norwegian family history with its home in France’s Charente region. Thomas Bache-Gabrielsen came to Cognac from Norway in 1903. Together with his compatriot Peter Rustad, he bought the existing Cognac house A. Edmond Dupuy in 1905, laying the foundations for the family business. In 2009, Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen took over as its fourth-generation head.

The house operates as a négociant-éleveur: it sources its eaux-de-vie exclusively from winegrowers who distil their own harvest, then takes responsibility for selection, maturation and blending. Oak and the humidity of the maturation warehouses play an important role. In 2015, two warehouses and a separate building for blending were established in Louzac-Saint-André, near Cognac. This brought all storage and maturation into the house’s own facilities.

Facts: