We know Malternative Belgium as the leading independent bottler of cognac, of course. However in March 2025 they also ventured into calvados selection.
Now calvados is a drink we’re not very familiar with. The ones we tried were almost exclusively from Christian Drouin’s stock. Some of them were really impressive, although we’re also realistic about their potential market share: most people seem to have trouble with its obvious fruit character, far more than in cognac for instance.
Malternative Belgium chose to enter the market of Le Calva with three releases at once, all from Christian Drouin indeed.
Calvados Christian Drouin 1964 ‘La Bolide Normand’ (44,1%, Malternative Belgium 2024, 60 btl.)
Nose: a mix of oxidated apple and bright apple juice. Brown sugar sweetness, hints of apple crumble and generous cinnamon. Hints of Sirop de Liège as well (however, may I suggest Stroopstokerij Wiertz instead?). Then whiffs of old furniture and subtle nail polish, as well as some musty forest aromas, wet soil, som walnuts and hints of black nougat.
Mouth: sweet and sour. More stewed apples and crumble, as well as cinnamon pastry. Then it becomes darker, on walnuts and roasted chestnut, along with mild bittersweet elements, orange peels and clove. This merges with black tea, cigar boxes and dried apple cubes. Rather more herbal in the end.
Finish: long, still balancing between herbal tea, stewed pears and wood spice. Quite a dry finale.
This is Calvados Domfrontais, so there’s a bit of pear in the mix. It’s really old and really complex, with evolved fruit notes and a firm bittersweet theme. A worthy after dinner dram. Available from Malternative Belgium and their partners.
Calvados Christian Drouin 1987 ‘Noix Surprise’ (47,2%, Malternative Belgium 2024, Oloroso cask, 60 btl.)
Nose: dried fruits right away. Prunes and dates, as well as raisins, and plenty of savoury notes underneath. Then brighter hints of sour cherries, as well as walnuts, roasted almonds and hazelnuts. Echoes of old leather saddles in the background. And yes, a few apples as well. A nice hybrid of sherry and calvados.
Mouth: quite earthy again, with a bit of pepper, chocolate truffles and some tannins. Then back to figs, dates and blackberry, along with many nuts. There’s more than a hint of cognac-like rancio as well – this could be mistaken for one of the more robust cognacs. Apples have less to say here, although they lend the composition some round sweetness.
Finish: very long, with more herbal notes, walnuts and some juiciness of stewed pear.
A nice surprise indeed, especially if you’re a sherry lover. It’s somewhere on the crossroads of oloroso, calvados and cognac. Why choose? Probably the highlight in this selection. Available from Malternative Belgium and their partners. Score: 90/100
Calvados Christian Drouin 19 yo ‘Beurre et Chaleur’ (51,8%, Malternative Belgium 2024, 60 btl.)
Nose: slightly rougher and younger, with a clear hint of latte, butter toffee and cocoa. Also lots of pastry notes, apple pie with vanilla of course, hints of cinnamon rolls and roasted almond flakes. Liquorice too. There’s more of an eau-de-vie character, but also a candied sweetness.
Mouth: baked fruits, quickly followed by a bigger bitterness than in the other releases. Toasted flavours, roasted chestnuts and walnuts, with liquorice roots and spicy sweetness. Then drying hints of tobacco leaves and old leather again, with sparkles of fresh yellow apple. Dark cherry in the background.
Finish: long, still dark and drying, with liquorice, burnt sugar and a light earthiness.
Nice aromas and flavours again, but slightly rougher and less ‘malternative’ in my opinion. This appears to be sold out, so maybe people were attracted by the accesible price, but I feel it’s nowhere near the other two. Better save up for the Oloroso cask. Score: 87/100