Review #: 384
Description: Jean-Luc Pasquet Lot 70 Aficionados x Fine Drams
Spirit: Cognac
Background: Afish and FineDrams have once again come together to bottle some single casks of JLP Cognac, this time staying well back in the age department. This Lot 70 comes from Criteuil in the Grande Champagne region. Likely to be over 50 years old, it is bottled at cask strength without any additives. The previous JLPs I thoroughly enjoyed and were a fantastic value. While the cost has jumped, it’s still plenty reasonable for the stats they bear. Let’s jump in.
Distillery – Criteuil
Bottler – Jean-Luc Pasquet
Brand – Jean-Luc Pasquet
Selection – Aficionados/FineDrams
ABV – 52.1%
Age – 52 Years
Nose – Rich and fruity immediately, dark but sweet grape, fig, cotton candy, throughout it there is a nice layer of toasted oak that really bumps up the complexity
Taste – Really rich, maple syrup, tobacco, figs, raisins, fruit is not as bright as it was on the nose but still quite sweet
Finish – Fruit starts to pop again with some cinnamon spice, a bit of tannic oak that gets a bit dry and a tinge of metallic taste to it. A nice toasted oak flavor lingers on the tongue
Score: 7
Would I buy a bottle? A good value for the age, but not at the level where I want to spend $220 it personally.
Thoughts: Really a lovely nose and then I enjoy how the taste really darkened and showed the depth from the age without being dry. My biggest issue came with the metallic note on the finish I wasn’t a huge fan of, but it’s not so dominant that it sours everything and it disappears shortly enough. Still a really solid selection as I have come to expect from the panel.