Pierre Huet Calvados AOC Pays d'Auge XO

Pierre Huet Calvados AOC Pays d'Auge XO

RECENT AWARDS: Gold Medal, 92 points, USA Spirits Ratings

TASTING NOTES: Deep amber color.  Lovely strong pear and baked apple on the nose. Delicate notes of salted butter caramel and cider spices with a hint of salinity. Slightly peppery and minty on the finish. Incredibly round and well-bodied leading to a long extended finish. Serve in a small brandy glass.

This Calvados XO (also known as Vieille Réserve 8 years) follows the strict Calvados AOC Pays d'Auge guidelines that require double-distillations in a traditional copper pot still called an "alembic á repassé."

The fermented cidre that is used for making Calvados (called calvados cidre) is fermented for 12 months in hundred-year-old oak barrels before being distilled. After distillation, the resulting spirits are put in oak barrels once again and aged for a minimum of eight years.