Christian Drouin 25 years of age Calvados AOC

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Extended oak cask maturation shapes this 25-year-old Calvados from Christian Drouin. It combines ripe apple fruit with a supple texture and restrained spice. Buttery pastry notes complement its creamy character.

This Calvados bears the Calvados Contrôlée appellation and is bottled at 40% in a 0.7-litre bottle. It comes in gift packaging. Served neat at room temperature, it can be enjoyed with mature hard cheese or dark chocolate, for example.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals butter and cream notes alongside ripe apple and delicate wood spice.
• Palate: The Calvados feels silky and supple on the palate. Ripe apples combine with subtle oak spice and a light peppery bite.
• Finish: A fine, delicate spiciness lingers through the long finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The family firm's history began in 1960, when Christian Drouin senior acquired the Fiefs Sainte-Anne farm near Gonneville-sur-Honfleur. Together with distiller Pierre Pivet, he initially built up stocks of mature Calvados. Sales did not begin until 1979. His son Christian developed the business with a particular focus on old bottlings. In the early 1990s, production moved to a 17th-century farm in Coudray-Rabut near Pont-l’Évêque.

The house works with slowly fermented ciders that may be stored for several months before distillation. It deliberately uses longer-aged ciders to produce spirits suited to extended cask maturation. The cellars mainly contain small casks that have often been used several times. These encourage interaction between wood, spirit and air, while older casks limit the contribution of bitter tannins. For each bottling, the house tailors maturation to its age and intended style.

Guillaume Drouin joined the business in 2004, bringing in the third generation. An agricultural engineer and oenologist, he later took responsibility for production and management of the company. Father and son taste the cask stocks together and develop the blends.

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