CHRISTMAS SPIRITS

[rachel lindsay]

Well what a treat we had last night.
I went along to Michael Lawlors Christmas Spirits night in Against the Grain.
We had Cognac, Armagnac, Grappa, Calvados, Rum and Sloe Gin and also The Orangerie !
The Grappa was superb, Nardini Grappa, it was oak, apples, pears, honey, spicy cinnamon and lemon meringue ( so I believe ) but it was gorgeous. I think you have to go to Italy to get it though.
My favourite of the night was the Calvados XO. Distilled from cider it tasted and smelled like stewed spiced apples and toffee, very Christmassy.
The Dictador 20yo Colombian Rum was sublime, dark brown sugar, maple, toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and weirdly enough curry ! It was gorgeous. Michael had it flown over specially for the tasting so I'm not sure how available it is.
The Sloe Gin was interesting, Sipsmith Gin infused with Sloes, it was kind of like boiled sweets, cherry and almond, treacley, wuold be a nice dessert tipple.
The two Cognacs were superb. Voyer Napoleon Cognac and Park XO Cognac. very smooth, the Napoleon was peachy and plummy and the Park XO was marzipan and wild blackberries, very sweet and smooth. They are available from the Celtic Whiskey Shop.
As usual Michael was a mind of information and so engaging and witty. It's always worth attending his tasting nights. They never disappoint and I always come away having learned something and having had a lovely evening.

[DavidH]

Yup, what Rachel said

I didn't even expect the cognac or rum to appeal to me based on prior experience but I hadn't tried the right ones, it seems. All nine samples had something to offer and at least six of them I'd love to have on my shelf to revisit regularly.

Michael advised us to check out the Dictador rum website, without saying why, specifically. It's not what I imagined from a 100-year old Columbian rum maker. It shares a certain, umm, aesthetic with another marketing campaign noted here recently.

[bredman]

I'm glad you like Calvados. Other than whiskey it's the only other tipple i drink. Supermarket calvados can be very good too for the money.

[rachel lindsay]

Supermarket Calvados ? Really ? Which one would you recommend trying ?

[bredman]

Supermarket Calvados ? Really ? Which one would you recommend trying ?

Sainsbury's. They did a 12yo Pays De Age XO that was good value indeed, although i noticed the other day a different label on the 12yo in the branch i was at. I shall grab a bottle (or two) for the coming festive season.