Christian Drouin Experimental Long Pond Angels 14 years of age Long Pond

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 45% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Long Pond Angels brings together mature Calvados from the Pays d'Auge and the influence of Jamaican rum casks. For the seven-month finish, Christian Drouin selected used French oak casks in which Jamaica Long Pond ITP 1995 rum had previously matured. The collaboration with Plantation Long Pond continues the exploration of Jamaican rum flavours begun with Hampden Angels.

The fourth release in the Expérimental series was bottled in August 2021 at 45%. A total of 1,890 bottles of this fourteen-year-old Calvados were produced. The dark bottle has a green wax seal.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, sweet and tart apples mingle with melon and papaya. Pineapple juice and pineapple syrup add to the fruit, while brown sugar, honey and butterscotch provide sweet accents. A note of sugar cane vinegar completes the picture.
• Palate: The acidity is more pronounced on the palate than the nose suggests. The taste is distinctly reminiscent of cider at first, followed by pineapple, brown sugar, butterscotch, yellow bell pepper and honey. Vanilla and pepper round out the lively flavour profile.
• Finish: The long finish combines banana and apple with further fresh fruit notes. A light acidity accompanies the sweet aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

The story of the family-owned house of Christian Drouin began in 1960 with the purchase of the Fiefs Sainte-Anne farm near Honfleur. Working with distiller Pierre Pivet, Christian Drouin initially built up stocks of long-aged Calvados; sales did not begin until 1979. In 1991–1992, production moved to a 17th-century farm in Coudray-Rabut near Pont-l'Evêque. Guillaume Drouin, an agricultural engineer and oenologist, joined the business in 2004 as the third generation and took over its management in 2013.

For its Calvados Pays d'Auge, the house uses double distillation in a still with a capacity of 2500 litres. Heads and tails are separated during both runs, with the cut points adjusted to the particular cider. Small and previously used casks play an important role in maturation. Christian and Guillaume Drouin taste the entire cask inventory each year and decide how each Calvados should develop further.

Facts: