Roger Groult 25 year old Calvados

Malt Mileage Rating: ★★★

Type: Calvados (apple brandy)

Origin: Calvados, France

ABV: 41%

Roger Groult 25 year is calvados, which is French brandy distilled from fermented apples (so, simply put, calvados is apple brandy distilled from a form of apple cider). This calvados is aged in French oak casks for 25 years.

The brandy tastes of drying apple cider, with spiced pear, toffee and vanilla. Towards the finish, the fruits become more zesty and the wood spices from the French oak emerge – find apple peel, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper. Interestingly, it showcases many of the oak qualities of a medium-full bodied red wine, including tobacco, soft leather and subtle tannin. It is a drying, sharp, mildly acidic, fiery and light-medium bodied apple brandy worthy of a try, but I would hesitate to buy a bottle.