After The Sins, Distilia is going forward with the other series The Virtues. They’re presenting a Calvados Domfrontais from the house of the Count Louis de Lauriston. Their cellars contain spirit of various producers.
This Calvados was distilled in 1993 and contains 60% pear and 40% apple. Sales should start at the end of this month through the Distilia shop.
Calvados Domfrontais Louis de Lauriston 31 yo 1993 (53%, Distilia ‘The Virtues’ 2025, 183 btl.)
Nose: the first impression is a mix of tart apple and apple juice, along with syrupy notes and brown sugar, as well as some exotic spice. Cinnamon, clove, oriental wood and mint leaves. Then some old tobacco, cigar boxes and subtle floral overtones, giving this an ethereal edge.
Mouth: more wood-driven now, on old cupboards with herbal tea, some sandalwood and a light earthy note in the background. Peppery notes, with peppermint and liquorice. Sweet and sour stewed pear and crisp apple are playing a secondary role here. Then hints of cloves, fresh walnuts and orange peels. Rather more herbal in the end, with a faint hint of potpourri.
Finish: very long and drying, combining woody bitters and tangy roots with citrus peels and hints of sweetened black tea.
A highly aromatic and intense Calvados. The fruits are having their say on the nose, but less so on the palate, where the wood takes over. Not on the same level as the excellent Drouin 1964 in the other series The Sins, but close.