Christian Drouin 19 years of age Foursquare Angels - Calvados Pays d'Auge

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 46.8% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Foursquare Angels adds a two-stage finish to a long-matured Calvados Pays d'Auge. For the eighth release in Christian Drouin's Expérimental series, a 17-year-old Calvados was transferred to eight French oak casks that had previously held rum from the family-run Foursquare distillery in Barbados. It matured in these casks for a further 17 months.

The Calvados then spent three months in freshly re-toasted casks. Guillaume Drouin chose this additional step to enhance the roundness and structure of the combination. The rum casks contributed vanilla and brown sugar in particular. The result brings together ripe apple fruit with tropical and spicy notes.

The 19-year-old Calvados was bottled in June 2023 as Small Batch No. 8, with a release of 2,396 bottles. It has an alcohol content of 46.8% and comes in a 0.7-litre bottle without gift packaging. It is non-chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, ripe and roasted apples meet delicate vanilla. Creamy caramel notes and brown sugar complete the bouquet.
• Palate: The Calvados is soft and rich on the palate. Tropical fruit combines with dark chocolate and gentle spices.
• Finish: The long, powerful finish reveals notes of pine nuts and almonds.

Distillery/Bottler:

The story of Christian Drouin began in 1960 with the purchase of the Fiefs Sainte-Anne estate near Honfleur. Its cider apple trees inspired the production of Calvados. Working with distiller Pierre Pivet, Christian Drouin senior spent two decades building up stocks of maturing spirits. His son joined the business in 1969; sales began in 1979. In the early 1990s, production moved to Coudray-Rabut near Pont-l'Évêque.

Guillaume Drouin, an agricultural engineer and oenologist, joined the family business in 2004 and took over its management in 2013. He creates the blends together with his father. For Calvados Pays d'Auge, the house distils its cider twice in a pot still with a capacity of 2500 litres. Heads and tails are separated during both distillations, with the cut points adjusted to each cider. Small casks, many of them previously used, predominate in the cellars. Christian and Guillaume Drouin taste every cask each year before deciding on its further use.

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