Christian Drouin Millésime 2000/2024 Double Maturation - Calvados Pays d'Auge

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

Special Features:

Two stages of cask maturation shape the distinctive profile of this vintage Calvados from Christian Drouin. Maturation in used Calvados casks was followed by three years in former Tokay casks. Having previously held Hungarian sweet wine, these casks add another cask influence to traditional Calvados maturation.

This apple spirit from the Pays d'Auge was double-distilled in a copper still in 2000. More than two decades passed before it was bottled in 2024. Its dark amber colour accompanies a fruity, honeyed profile with nutty accents in the finish.

This official bottling has an alcohol content of 42% and contains no added colouring. The bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in a wooden box.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Cooked apple and dried apricot meet currants and honey on the nose. The bouquet is lively and complex.
• Palate: The Calvados is fresh and expressive on the palate. Apple and apricot combine with a clearly integrated honey note and a well-defined structure.
• Finish: Bitter walnut notes and roasted hazelnut emerge in the long finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The family firm's history began in 1960, when Christian Drouin senior purchased the Fiefs SainteAnne estate near Honfleur. Working with distiller Pierre Pivet, he turned the cider produced there into Calvados and initially built up stocks for maturation. His son Christian joined in 1969 and later focused the house particularly on old Calvados and vintage bottlings. In 1991–1992, production moved to a 17th-century farm in Coudray-Rabut near Pont-l'Évêque. Guillaume Drouin joined in 2004, bringing in the third generation, and took over the management of the company in 2013.

The house washes and sorts its apples before gently pressing them in a pneumatic press. The crushed fruit rests for several hours before pressing, making the tannins in the cider less bitter. During distillation, the heads and tails are separated in both runs, with the cut points adjusted to each cider.

For maturation, Christian Drouin mainly uses small oak casks and many previously used casks, limiting excessive extraction of bitter tannins. Each vintage follows its own maturation programme. Christian and Guillaume taste every cask annually before deciding how it will be used next.

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