R Delisle Cognac VS 40%
50% Petit Champagne, 50% Fine Bois
3 year old plus spirit/ Tasted: Sept 2015
Crisp, citric and fresh aromas with a good fruit sweetness. Quite spicy – sweet cinnamon spice with a light herbal character.
The palate is soft and elegant, quite fruity and gently spiced with a lightly mineral finish which balances the sweetness of the eaux-de-vie. Good length and finish.
R Delisle Cognac VSOP 40%
50% Petit Champagne, 50% Fine Bois
5 year old plus spirit/ Tasted: Sept 2015
The nose is aromatic, fresh and herbal, which shows a little more aged fruit rancio. Still quite elegant with a good fruit sweetness along with a touch of honey and spice.
The palate shows a little more oak but like the nose it’s very fresh and elegant. Lightly nutty with a touch of cinnamon and a gentle dried fruit rancio. Lightly oiled finish with a subtle spiciness.
R Delisle Cognac XO 40%
50% Petit Champagne, 50% Fine Bois
Tasted: Sept 2015
Quite herbal and mature aromas, which show more complexity and a touch more oak. Elegant sweet apricot, cider apple and hints of camomile, clove and pepper.
The palate is full and like the nose displays more caramel oak character along with a deep but subtle raisinated rancio and developing floral fruit notes. Again spicy with black pepper and a good fruity and spicy finish.
R Delisle Cognac XO 40%
50% Petit Champagne, 50% Fine Bois
Re-Tasted: Nov 2015
Taught and very spicy aromas with walnut, sweet, marmalade orange, prune and hints of tight, grainy oak, creamy oak and a herbal ‘agricole-esque’ rancio. Very intense and very impressive.
The palate is softer and not as taught as the nose would suggest, but its still quite wood spicy with soft, dried fruit – raisin and prune and treacle/ dark honey. A light minerality adds a balancing freshness. Beautifully deep and long with lingering smooth dried fruit, dark chocolate, sweet spice and a touch of dried citrus.
R Delisle Cognac Collection Prestige XO ‘Grande Champagne’ 40%
Tasted: Nov 2015
Deeper more concentrated and possibly more mature aromas than the XO with treacle, walnuts and an almost sherry wood spiciness. Amazingly complex with dried apricot, dusty spice, sweet tobacco smoke and a touch of orange conserve.
Wonderfully moist and juicy palate with a soft, dark, treacley rancio and a touch of orange conserve. Lightly herbal with hints of tobacco, earth and wood spice on the middle. Long and nutty with a touch of creamy oak and sweet/ bitter spices.
R Delisle Club Cigare XO Grande Champagne 42%
35 year old spirit from sourced wine.
Tasted: Sept 2015
A dense and very woody nose with grilled walnuts, vanilla, dried orange, raisin, sultana and plenty of chocolate and treacle. Tightly tannic with hints of smoke and lightly stewed tea.
The palate is softly tannic and spicy with treacle, liquorice, stewed fruit and a balancing citrus and light minerality. Powerful but balanced with plenty of tobacco and chocolate notes. Palate cleansing mineral finish with some drying chocolaty tannins and gentle cigar smoke.
R Delisle Club Cigare XO Grande Champagne 42%
Re-Tasted: Nov 2015
Dark, smoky and very spicy nose. Very concentrated, raisinated rancio with treacle, dusty spice and walnuts. Even though it’s quite dark and rich it still retains the slight perfumed Grande Champagne elegance.
Full and soft and a little lighter in the spice department, although showing a little more wood spice and oak. Taught, smoky and elegant dried fruits mingle with treacle, tobacco and sun dried raisins. Lovely length with a light bitter spice and dark chocolate finish.
R Delisle Vintage Cognac 1965 Fin Bois 60.4%
45+ years old
Tasted: Nov 2015
Taught and herbal aromas with buckets of sweet, spicy oak. In fact it has an almost American oak perfumed character, with loads of crème caramel. Very complex and stunning intensity with hints of sultana, violets and dusty spice. With time hints of treacle and darker spices emerge.
Intense and alcoholic on the palate. Just how tight were those casks!?! However it’s wonderfully balanced. The oak is a little grittier and tannic with hints of honey and citrus. Again quite mineral and fresh with some lighter dried fruits coming through on the middle. Long and very honeyed with a beautiful crystallised orange, tangerine and tobacco leaf finish.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 