Bas-Armagnac Domaine de Baraillon 1987, Swell de Spirits, 500ml

What could go wrong here? Colour: coffee. Nose: essentially armagnac. Black raisins, cigars, pinewood, dates, prunes, sauna oils, furniture polish, crankcase oil, roasted sesame, old books… And one peanut. Joking. Mouth: a wee bit on the woody side but that would lead us to old Bordeaux, old Pauillac (no names), pine resin, thyme tea and honey… There is some grittiness, and, as we Alsatians sometimes say, 'a feeling of hoppla'. Seriously, I wouldn't have kept this one in wood for much longer. There's rather a lot of moist, thick, Cavendish-like pipe tobacco too. Or that thing we used to buy as flakes, sobranie or something, which would just never burn properly. Indeed, we're talking pipe tobacco. Finish: long and curiously molassy. Some tarry pine and liquorice in the aftertaste. Actually, really a lot of liquorice. Comments: around the high borders once more.
SGP:671 - 88 points.

Nose: really aromatic. Plenty of precious woods, cigar boxes, sesame oil and resinous notes. Also prunes, figs and raisins, as well as baked bananas with Demerara sugar. A slight balsamic note. Chestnut honey and leather. Very classy.

Mouth: rather woody. It’s a bit like chewing cedar wood, with a feeling of resins, tobacco juice and a leafy sourness. Cocktail bitters. Then over-infused herbal tea and a clear medicinal side (menthol). Liquorice, olive brine, leather and cold espresso in the end.

Finish: long, sour and herbal, with hints of rancio, liquorice roots and drying exotic woods.

So yeah, the nose was great but on the palate it goes over the top in terms of woodiness. I can see why it was selected, but this spread stance makes it hard to score. Sold out.

 

Our second armagnac was the first bottled by Decadent Drinks. It is a 35 year old bottling, created from a mix of 64% 1985 Bas-Armagnac with 36% 1963 Ténarèze Armagnac, bottled at cask strength.