The Whisky Jury just launched its 75th release, a very old cognac. Very, very old. We’re talking about Famille Cabanne Lot 19.10, aged well over 110 years! It never moved to demijohns so it stayed in wood the entire time, in cellar n°24. It may be the oldest spirit we’ve ever tried.
In fact Famille Cabanne was brought to our attention by The Whisky Jury with their glorious Lot 68. This is a joint bottling: half the yield was bottled by The Whisky Jury and the other half is released by the importer of Cabanne, Wine4You, with a different label.
Cognac Famille Cabanne Lot 19.10 – Grande Champagne (44,9%, The Whisky Jury 2023, cask #7, 109 btl.)
Nose: you don’t need long to realise the quality. Preserved peaches, lovely nectarines, acacia honey, figs and soft fruit syrups including a little rose syrup. Peonies too. Then some old Sauternes and pastries. Also brighter notes of pink grapefruit, pears and mango, with minty freshness and a touch of camphor. Almonds and subtle tobacco in the distance. Vibrant and complex, with some rancio weight and jammy notes but also a lot of fresh fruits.
Mouth: bingo. Tropical fruits like pink grapefruit, mango and passion fruit. Impressive. Then tobacco leaves come out, with a tea-ish edge and dried herbs (rosemary). Hints of Jaffa cakes and drops of old quina, which balance the jammy fruits. Sultanas, pollen, chestnut honey, alongside dried apricots and perhaps a toffee apple. Cinnamon and drops of clove oil. Eventually perhaps a tad more gritty than the nose suggested, but gloriously drinkable and never overtly woody.
Finish: long, with dried fruits, slight hints of burnt sugar, Darjeeling tea and candied orange peels.
In 1910 Titanic was being built, Portugal became a republic and Marie Curie successfully produced radium as a pure metal. This cognac too is part of that history. A rather stunning cognac – easy to predict this will appear in our yearly overview of highlights. I believe Wine4You still has bottles to offer and perhaps TWJ retailers as well. Around € 850.