Christian Drouin Millesimes 2004/2024 Calvados Pays d'Auge # Double Maturation Calvados + Foursquare Cask

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 42% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Maturation in Calvados and Foursquare rum casks shapes this vintage from the Pays d'Auge. Christian Drouin first aged the spirit distilled in 2004 in oak Calvados casks, then finished it in former rum casks from the Foursquare distillery in Barbados. The 2024 bottling thus brings together two different previous cask contents. It has an alcohol content of 42% and comes in a 0.7-litre bottle with gift packaging.

In the glass, the Calvados has an old-gold hue and forms thick, even legs. Its character combines apple fruit with honey, pastries and toasted wood; the finish echoes these warm, dessert-like aromas. Millésime 2004 was named best vintage Calvados at the World Calvados Awards 2024 and received a double gold medal from Gilbert & Gaillard and silver at the International Spirits Challenge in the same year.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Ripe apples and honey appear first on the nose. Cinnamon, brown sugar and toasted wood then emerge. Brioche and baba pastries add to the baked-goods aromas.
• Palate: The opening is clean and assertive, while toasted wood gives the palate structure. Baked apples, spices, almonds and raisins create a rich, pastry-like flavour profile. Candied orange adds another fruity accent.
• Finish: The finish fades gently with flavours of apple tart, strudel and brown sugar.

Distillery/Bottler:

The history of Christian Drouin began in 1960 with the purchase of the Fiefs Sainte-Anne farm at Gonneville, near Honfleur. Working with the experienced distiller Pierre Pivet, the founder spent the following two decades distilling the farm's cider and building up stocks of maturing Calvados. His son joined the business in 1969 and developed its specialisation in old and rare bottlings. In 1991–1992, production moved to a 17th-century farm in Coudray-Rabut, near Pont-l'Évêque. Guillaume Drouin, an agricultural engineer and oenologist, joined as the third generation in 2004 and took over the management of the business in 2013.

The house uses around thirty apple varieties in production. After washing and sorting, the fruit is crushed; gentle pneumatic pressing yields about 65% juice. For Calvados Pays d'Auge, the cider is distilled twice in a batch still. The separation of heads and tails is adjusted to each cider. Maturation does not follow a uniform pattern either: each vintage receives its own sequence of casks according to its age and the desired style. Christian and Guillaume Drouin taste every cask each year before deciding how it will be used next.

Facts: