Good news for cognac drinkers, and especially for fans of all things Maison Ferrand. The company has just released Pierre Ferrand Reserve Double Cask Cognac. This expression is a permanent addition to the portfolio–which also includes one of our go-tos, Pierre Ferrand 1840–and the first Pierre Ferrand cognac to be aged in two different casks.
In making this new expression, Master Blender and Proprietor, Alexandre Gabriel, is reviving one of the industry’s vanished traditions: maturing the spirit in different types of casks to enrich flavors and deepen complexity. And so, Pierre Ferrand Reserve Double Cask is made of cognac that has been matured for seven-to-10-years in small oak barrels that have been kept in seven different aging cellars (some dry, some humid). That is then blended with 20-year-old cognac and placed in casks that once held Banyuls–a fortified wine produced and aged in the south of France since the 13th century–for one additional year. The result is a taste profile that hearkens back to the 1800s–a time that many consider to be the “golden era” of cognac.
Pierre Ferrand Reserve Double Cask Cognac was recently awarded best cognac in the 2017 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, where it received 98 points, an almost perfect score. So there’s a decent chance you’re going to like it. Stats wise, it’s 42.3% ABV and sports a suggested retail price of $79.99 for a 750 ml bottle. Now, onto the official and rather effusive tasting notes:
Pierre Ferrand Reserve Double Cask Tasting Notes
Aroma: Golden tones of fresh hay, orange cream and baked fig.
Taste: Silky and seductive, it caresses with flavors of raisin cookie and lemon sorbet.
Finish: Slightly sweet with a kiss of toasted oak.
