Christian Drouin XO Calvados Pays d'Auge

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40%

Special Features:

For Christian Drouin XO, maturation in former Cognac casks complements ageing in small oak casks. This double-distilled Calvados matures longer than the house's VSOP. It combines a dense, rich character with baked apple, tarte Tatin and the first delicate hints of rancio.

The fruit base consists mainly of apples, with a small proportion of pears. Cooked apple and compote are accompanied by almond, heated butter and spices. Bottled at 40% alcohol, it comes in a 0.7-litre bottle with gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, baked apples mingle with almond and delicate spice notes.
• Palate: The Calvados is soft, supple and full-bodied on the palate. Fruit notes take the lead at first, before vanilla and more pronounced woody notes emerge.
• Finish: Compote-like fruit notes and a spicy note linger on the finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The family company's history began in 1960, when Christian Drouin senior acquired the Fiefs Sainte-Anne farm near Honfleur. Together with distiller Pierre Pivet, he built up stocks of mature Calvados there; sales did not begin until 1979. In 1991–92, production moved to Coudray-Rabut near Pont l'Evêque. Guillaume Drouin, a third-generation agronomist and oenologist, joined the company in 2004 and took over its management in 2013. He creates the blends together with his father.

Around thirty apple varieties grow in the family's traditional standard-tree orchards. After washing and crushing, the fruit rests for several hours in stainless steel tanks before being gently pressed in a pneumatic press. For its Calvados Pays d'Auge, Drouin uses double distillation and adjusts the heads and tails cuts to each cider. Small used casks play an important role in the cellar, limiting the extraction of bitter tannins. Father and son taste the entire cask stock every year to decide on the spirits' further maturation and use.

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