Aurian 1966 - Wu Dram Clan - 53%
Photo taken somewhere in Stuttgart
Can you believe this vintage? We mean, just imagine the price of a Bowmore 1964 in comparison. Nah, let's not talk about money. We're officially back with another WuDramClan Release of Maison Aurian, which was founded in 1880 and is still producing liqueurs, fortified wines and of course, Armagnac. In contrast to Cognac, which is double-distilled with copper pot stills, small column stills (alambics) are used for Armagnac. This results in a more edgy and austere style.
Nose
The first impression cannot be better summarised than 'Autumn in a glass' (let's straightly put on Dassin's record L'été indien). We can imagine a big basket full with drupes like plums, apricots, nectarines, sultanas and hazelnuts laying on a sea of wet leaves on a forest glad. We can even smell the roots, moss and mushrooms of the damp soil. The richness is massive. After some minutes a pleasant paint note, but also a slightly sulphurous note emerges, which is not critical but reduces the otherwise outstanding overall impression by one millimetre.
Palate
Deliciousness taken to the extreme! Even though this product is 13 years older than the 1979 vintage, the wood is much better integrated and gives us a perfectly balanced, rounded juice that is fully charged with all those aforementioned fruits, plus sour apples, an entertaining rusty note, Crème de Menthe and plenty of hazelnuts. The sweetness, the bitterness, the sourness, it's all in a perfectly harmonious balance. Did we already mention that the stuff is delicious?
Finish
The finish is satisfyingly long-lasting, topping the palate with nougat and a lot of tart cherries (the ones on top of a black forest cake).
Rating
When exploring a new field it could be better to start with easy, undemanding entry level drams and increase the load very gradually while climbing up the learning curve. We have totally failed in this respect with rum and it seems that the same fate befalls us with armagnac. But since we have only one liver in this life it's perhaps better that way. Enough essaying, this armagnac is a winner and so far the best we've tried (recently confirmed in several blind tastings).
