Rémy Martin Centaure Extra circa 1980s 40% / Valdespino Oloroso 20 yo ‘Solera 1842’ 20%
Right double tasting. Cognac first, an old one too. What curious treasures one find in forgotten corners of old cabinets.
Right this is a Cognac, which means a twice distilled brandy whose source grapes are grown in certain areas around the town of Cognac, and aged for a minimum of two years in French Oak barrels. Of these controlled areas, Grand Champagne stands out as the most illustrious and with the best aging potential, followed by Petite Champagne and then the other AOC zones.
The big houses are familiar names, and Rémy Martin itself is known for blending cognacs sourced only from Grand Champagne and Petite Champagne. This particular bottling from the 80s is given the Extra designation, which means the cognac is aged a minimum of six years (like XO) but usually denotes something older.
Nose: Tannic and dry cedar wood. Smells grippy already. Tobacco leaves and menthol. Golden raisins and light glazed fruit – as opposed to dark preserved fruit, not cloyingly sweet. Walnut cream and bruleed sugar. Also enough of a deep intoxicating ginger and aniseed punch that reaches up into the back of the nose. Maybe a drop of pitch too.
Palette: Sweeter here. Smooth and with some rum agricole flavours like this fibrous vegetal sweetness. Mascerated berries and toffe with lots of that dry woodiness around.
Finish: Medium and drying, more tobacco and woody spiciness.
I don’t usually drink or even like cognacs because of the over concentrated raisiny sweetness I find in many but I really love this profile. It is sweet aromatically but not cloyingly sweet and is full of dry woody and spicy counterpoints. Reminds me somewhat of a good dry oloroso butt matured whisky.
But what of Oloroso then?
Valdespino is an old Sherry bodega, and the solera this oloroso was drawn from was started in 1842. Solera? 20 years old? Yes, in solera systems the given age is an average minimum, and not the youngest sherry in the bottle. Apparently this is a Oloroso Dulce, meaning that a small quantity of old Pedro Ximenez was blended in, though this is not mentioned anywhere in the label, but is still regarded as a dry sherry.
Nose: Ok very similar to a tawny port but drier by far. Meaning thick brown honey, the rancio of brown oxidised fruit, dark roasted nuts, dry leather. And interestingly, lots of traditional coconut candy and gula melaka. Aromatic and round.
Palette: Dry with just a touch of sweetness. Burnt caramel, more thick dark honey and rancio- luscious but dry. Old wood and licorice. Not as long or full on the tongue as say a sherried whisky.
Finish: A little more sweetness shows, more brown sugar candy.
Not sure if this scale should even apply to sherry, but alright. Shows great balance, leans heavily on the dry side but aromatically rich and interesting. Isn’t that whats great in a good oloroso matured whisky too?
Whiskyrific RSS
- Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition 1994 / 2010 lgv.4/498 43% vs Lagavulin Friends of the Classic Malts 12 yo 1995 / 2008 48%
- Glen Grant 27 yo 1955 / 1982 Samaroli 43% vs Glenury Royal 24 yo 1966 / 1990 Cadenhead 53.8%
- Lochside 22 yo 1979 / 2001 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 276 bttls 50% vs Lochside 32 yo 1982 / 2014 Malts of Scotland #14019 55.2% vs Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 Thosop 50.5%
- St Magdalene 25 yo 1964 / 1989 Cadenhead 44.2% vs St Magdalene 23 yo 1970 Rare Malts 58.43%
- Caol Ila 15 yo Sestante for Novecento 64.7% vs Caol Ila 15 yo Sestante 65.3%
- Glen Garioch 25 yo 1990 / 2017 LMdW ‘Artist #7’ Cask #2694 52.3% vs Glen Garioch 1968 29 yo 1968 #625 57.2%
- Clynelish 90 yo 1972 / 2002 Scotch Malt Sales 58% vs Clynelish 23 yo 1974 / 1998 Rare Malts 59.1%
- Scapa 12 yo 40% ~2000 vs Scapa 8 yo Gordon & Macphail 57% ~ late 80s
- Bruichladdich 21 yo 1992 / 2014 Duncan Taylor #3987 49.7% vs Bruichladdich 22 yo 1991 / 2014 Gleann Mor #2270 55.9%
- Rosebank 26 yo 1967 / 1994 Signatory #4397 51.7% vs Rosebank 25 yo 1967 / 1993 Signatory #4393-4394 54.4%
