We don't feature a lot of Cognac on the site (what with being "Time for Whisky" and all..) but on the odd occasion we do, it's usually something pretty special - single cask, independently-bottled, etc...
So upon hearing about Spiritus, a new Hong Kong-based independent bottler of Cognac, it's fair to say my interest was piqued - doubly so as the people behind Spiritus are known and well-respected members of the local whisky community.
Spiritus' first release saw them bottle a single cask Petite Champagne Cognac from Jean-Luc Pasquet, distilled in 1983 and bottled in Sept 2021 at 38 years old. Single cask Cognac from Jean-Luc Pasquet seems to be popular amongst whisky lovers, with Old Master Spirits (in Australia) and Wu Dram Clan (in Europe) also bottling casks I've written about recently. I enjoyed all of those, so was keen to see how this 1983 fared (especially being a birth vintage for me)!
Spiritus Jean Luc Pasquet Petite Champagne Cognac 1983-2021 (50.7% ABV, 38yo, France, $1,580HKD)
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Colour: Deep orange copper.
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Colour: Deep orange copper.
Nose: Super fruity - peach, stewed pears, kiwi and strawberry. Some furniture polish, followed by freshly ground coffee and puff pastry (I mean, "croissants" would just seem too obvious right?)
Palate: Follows the nose but adds plums and white grapes, leather, and some oak but balanced nicely. Milk chocolate and a slight savoury note round things out.
Finish: Medium in length, with some residual tropical notes and earl grey tea towards the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A fantastic first bottling!
Palate: Follows the nose but adds plums and white grapes, leather, and some oak but balanced nicely. Milk chocolate and a slight savoury note round things out.
Finish: Medium in length, with some residual tropical notes and earl grey tea towards the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A fantastic first bottling!
A big thanks to Spiritus for the sample. If this is a taste of things to come, we can't wait to see what the future holds (and we shouldn't have to wait too long, as the next release has already been announced - this time a 1971 50yo Grand Champagne Cognac).
Cheers,
Martin.
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