Back around Christmas, I was shopping at the liquor store, and looking for Cognac. I'm always annoyed at how Total Wine puts the Cognac behind a locked glass case, and you have to WAIT and WAIT for them to come unlock it, and then when you just ask for a cheap bottle of Hennesy or something, they get all huffy and exasperated that they had to come all the way over to the Cognac / Whiskey aisle just for That! So I saw a bottle of Berneroy Calvados VSOP. VSOP is a typical designation for Cognac, and the Berneroy was immediately next to the locked Cognac case, so I figured it was some kind of Cognac I'd never heard of. I was mistaken.
Calvados is a French Brandy, made in the north west (Brittany) region of the country. It is not bad, with a mild cherry flavor, but it does not taste like cough syrup. It took me about 2 months to finish the bottle. If you like Brandy, try it. If you're looking for Cognac, don't settle for a bottle of Calvados.
Berneroy makes pretty fair and honest Calvados, certainly they are pretty good value for money. You must try the XO sometime. The whole range is now in new packaging (in the UK, at least), which I think looks even smarter http://bit.ly/JMmxdc
ReplyDeleteIt's an apple brandy, in particular.
ReplyDeleteI've been a big fan of Calvados after having some of a homemade version in Clermont during one of my stays there.
ReplyDelete