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Posts Tagged ‘Pierre Ferrand’

Review: Pierre Ferrand Reserve

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 19, 2018

Pierre Ferrand Reserve Cognac is blended solely from aged eaux de vie produced within the 1st Cru de Cognac, specifically from the Ugni Blanc and Colombard grapes grown within the Grande Champagne Cognac appellation (region) of France. Although the final spirit has no age statement, this is because the spirit is blended to meet an age profile that represents a 20-year-old spirit. To maintain product consistency from year to year, the actual average age of the blended cognac will vary depending upon the cellar conditions during maturation and the interactions between the oak and the aging eaux de vie.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Pierre Ferrand Reserve

“… The aroma from the glass brings forward impressions of lightly musty leather and oak spice alongside indications of dry fruit and raisins. Some lighter aroma akin to Granny Smith apples and fresh green grape are apparent as well, but it is the darker fruit which is more dominant. Some honeycomb reaches up giving me an impression of light sweetness with touches of almond and crushed walnut shells rounding out the aroma …”

Oh yes, do try my recipe for Leo Engels’ 1878 Brandy Cocktail which is found at the end of the review!

Chimo!

 

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Review: Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 26, 2018

Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula

Cognac Ferrand is the result of a rare opportunity offered to a young man (Alexandre Gabriel) in 1989 by one of the oldest wine growing families in the Cognac region of France. According to Mr. Gabriel,

I met a small Cognac producer who needed help selling his products to finish off his stock. This was Cognac Ferrand. I fell in love with the product and with the region. It all reminded me of what I grew up around. So when I was invited to become a partner and told that no one was going to continue if I didn’t, I just said….yes.”

Although that beginning may have seemed rather precarious to those on the outside, Alexandre made the most of his opportunity, and now Cognac Ferrand a well-respected producer with sales in more than 40 countries world-wide.

For Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac, Alexandre collected old bottles of cognac that were bottled at a young age and designed his Cognac based upon a particular bottle from 1840 replicating a style of cognac which had heretofore been lost.

The Heretic

In 1840, the appeal for Cognac was much more broadly based. Rather than being an after dinner indulgence consumed in a brandy snifter, those who consumed Cognac regularly mixed it with Seltzer water, and it was even the distilled spirit of choice for cocktails. Mr. Gabriel is convinced that bringing people back to the origins of cocktail culture through an original style cognac is a winning idea.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac

“… Even before I put my nose to the glass, I could sense the clean scent of fresh green grapes climbing into the air above the glass. When I did place my nose over the glass to inspect the breezes, I received enticing aromas of oak spices which gave me and impressions of freshly sanded oak  and sandalwood. Hints of cinnamon stained the oak spices …”

Of course I could not help but follow Alexandre Gabriel’s lead and constructed a somewhat heretical cocktail using not only his wonderful cognac, but also a 20-year-old brandy at the conclusion of my review.

Please enjoy the review, and my fantastic cocktail suggestion, the Heretic!

Posted in Brandy and Cognac Reviews, Cognac Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac

Review: Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 24, 2016

Plantation Rums Stiggins' Fancy btl RVB BD

Yesterday I introduced a flavoured rum from Alexander Gabriel (President and Owner, of Cognac Ferrand), Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple Rum.

Cognac Ferrand for those who do not know is a Cognac House in France which produces the Plantation Rum brand. Plantation Rums are produced and aged in various part of the Caribbean, after which they are sent to France to be aged for a further length of time in the cellars at Cognac Ferrand in used cognac barrels.

Alexander Gabriel in collaboration with Dave Wondrich (cocktail guru and author of Imbibe) researched the original recipes of Pineapple Rum (which was quite a popular delicacy in the 19th century) and then set about to re-create this lost libation.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple Rum

” … The aroma from the glass is very inviting. Rum-like scents of butterscotch toffee, vanilla and baking spice (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) lead out with both orange peel and yummy citrus pineapple scents riding along. There are light accents of almond and a mild sweep of tobacco which complete the nose …”

Please enjoy my review of this outstanding flavoured rum!

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Cocktail Hour: The Winter Cocktail

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 6, 2016

Well aged rums (and whiskies) can and should be sipped neat or on the rocks with ice. Having said that, there is no reason not to enjoy such spirits in wonderful cocktails as well. Aged spirits add a wonderful depth of character to our cocktail experience which cannot be denied. For best results, always use fresh ingredients and when mixing different spirits do your best to select spirits of similar quality.

Here is a yummy Winter Cocktail I constructed with the Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum in mind.

Winter CocktailWinter Cocktail

1 3/4 oz Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum
1/8 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao
1/8 oz Lime Juice
1/16 oz of sugar syrup (1:1 ratio)
3 drops of Bitters (Fees Cocktail Bitters)
ice
coil of orange peel

Fill a metal shaker 1/3 full of ice
Add all of the ingredients into the cocktail shaker
Shake and strain into a small rocks glass
Add a lump of ice and a coil of orange peel

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

(Note: My review for the new non age stated (NAS) Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum will publish in just a few short days.)

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#16 Citadelle Reserve Gin 2011 Edition (Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 9, 2015

Citadelle Gin has a history which stretches back to 1775 when King Louis XVI authorized two Frenchmen, Carpeau and Stival, to open a genievre distillery at the Citadelle in Dunkirk, which would serve as the Royal Distillery with an exclusive 20 year privilege.  The Citadelle Distillery produced about 1000 litres of genievre per day which was predominantly shipped in small casks for sale in England, where gin was very popular.

Citadelle Reserve Gin (2011 Edition) SAM_1879About 200 years later in 1989,  Alexandre Gabriel of Cognac Ferrand, recognized that in France, gin had become more of an industrial spirit with much of the heritage and refinement lessened by time. He decided to create a handcrafted gin using small copper pots in the style and tradition of the Citadelle Distillery of old. Fortunately records existed of the old gin making techniques at the Citadelle Distillery, and after several years of research Alexandre Gabriel was successful in distilling an old style handcrafted gin under the Citadelle name. The Gin is produced at the Cognac Ferrand facilities in Cognac, France, and according to the Citadelle Gin website, it is produced under naked flame in small copper pot stills using a complex array of 19 botanicals.

Here is a link to the review of the best gin I have ever tasted, and the #16 spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.

#16 – Citadelle Reserve Gin (2011 Edition)

“… The aroma which drifts upwards is light and elegant, and very appealing. Mild piny notes of juniper seem to lead into the breezes with scents of lemon and balsam arriving almost as quickly. The oak manifests itself as sandalwood with light rye spices which build up as the glass sits. There is also a soothing floral characteristic to the nose which reminds me of  lilacs in the springtime …”

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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits

Posted in Awards, Extras, Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

 
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