STN: Cognac Ferrand Cask Strength RdAnges & Ancestrale 70yo

Two final Cognacs conclude the Cognac Pierre Ferrand tasting conducted by Guillaume Lamy:

Cask Strength Selection des Anges 30 Year Old[/b]. (sample vial) It is fascinating to have this opportunity to compare the finished version of the Selection des Anges against a Cask Strength---with the only difference being the amount of alcohol. Yet that amount of alcohol makes a tremendous difference---and speaks eloquently to the practice of reducing the alcohol strength to allow the delicacies of aroma and flavor to emerge. The Cask Strength has many of the characteristics of the finished Selection des Anges, but has a greater density, a hotter burn, and is more impenetrable. There's less of the floral and fruit (the "lighter" elements) and much more of the caramel and chocolate (the "heavier" elements). The same components are there, but the emphasis is entirely different. The finished version shows much more elegance, balance and harmony, where the Cask Strength is force majeure.


The [b]Ancestrale, however, is an entirely different creature from what has come before. Keep in mind we have jumped from 30 years of age to 70 years! And the proof is before us, without doubt.

Contrary to what most 'casual' drinkers have been led to believe, most whiskies and brandies---and that type of brandy called Cognac included---do not benefit particularly from vastly extending the time in barrel. The flavor impacts of the wood reach their limits within a few years, and the evaporation and oxidation increase significantly; in the case of the Ancestrale, the evaporation factor is up to a staggering 89%!

Most Cognacs, quite frankly, can't handle this. That is why this Ancestrale and others of its ilk are exceedingly rare. And why only 300 bottles of Ancestral are released in a given year.

The Ancestrale is based primarily on the 1928 Vintage, with judicious mingling of other very carefully selected years to 'round out' the final version.

And the Ancestrale, because of both age and ancestry, is a very different style of Cognac. We've entered into another realm here, for the Ancestrale seems almost to be hearkening back to its origins, revealing a deeper, more wine-like character. There is a distinct (to me) reverberation of a Pineau des Charentes, that intriguing and fruity/grapey regional blend of (usually) inexpensive wine laced with inexpensive basic Cognac.

On the other hand, there's an amazing density of tertiary aromas and flavors here---with the emphasis on tertiary. While the dried flowers and crystallized fruits are there, the dominant elements are the tobacco, walnuts, caramel, and chocolate; while the spice elements---cinnamon, clove and mingled curry spices---are quieter, more peripheral or subdued. And then there is the delightful and evocative impression of Madeira at the finish---the ultimate, I think, of the rancio effect that Cognac is known for in its more aged and elaborated versions.

With Ancestrale, you are constantly aware of consuming a well-aged Cognac, and that this is as different from the "basic" Cognac as....well, as different as Cognac is from its wine base, I suppose.

And there is a moment---I think for all of us there---where we quietly pay reverence to this transformation (I prefer transmutation, of course) to something unique, an undefinable something that did not exist before, and is the result of the changes brought about by maturation alone.

Thanks Hoke! Been looking forward to reading this one. Very interesting what you had to say about the SdA cask strength!

Thanks Hoke! Been looking forward to reading this one. Very interesting what you had to say about the SdA cask strength!

Yeah, that was interesting for me, seeing the difference. Love getting "taste insights" like that.

Overall, as impressed as I was with the Ancestrale, I'd still vastly prefer the Selection des Anges as my fave of the Ferrands....with the stipulation that I'd have that only rarely, and would prefer having the Ambre as the standard "go to" drink for everyday purposes.

Lovely TN, Hoke. Ancestrale costs €347 here so I think that I can resist going out to buy it .

Thank you Hoke for the great TNs. One quick question- brandy producers do not have a “top up regime” for their barrels? Is the oxidation that occurs when you lose so much liquid that “desirable” for brandy production?

Salute

Thank you Hoke for the great TNs. One quick question- brandy producers do not have a “top up regime” for their barrels? Is the oxidation that occurs when you lose so much liquid that “desirable” for brandy production?

Salute

I believe some brandy producers do have a "top up regime" for their vintage barrels, Victor.

Certainly, that is an integral part of the Brandy de Jerez production system.

In any case, oxidation is one of the four processes that occurs in barrel maturation, so in that sense, it is desirable for brandy production, yes.

It's simply that the maturation in barrel is considered good for only a set number of years for most brandies (or whiskies, for that matter); past that time and it is seen as becoming a negative rather than a positive, so some of the liquids are preserved in carboys.

My understanding---and I may well be mistaken or not fully informed here---is that most distillers and blenders maintain that most of the 'beneficial' maturation process occurs in the first several years (I've heard as little as four and as long as twenty, depending on the type, location, and style), and that prolonged time in barrels does not "improve" the spirits.

...But then I put that up against what I know of the Caribbean and South American and Central American rum producers, and I wonder about that too, y'know?

Once again, I default to putting more weight on the master blender's sense of style than the other factors in determining the final evocation of a spirit. Yes, the other elements are important, without any doubt, in creating the "whole" of a spirit and imbuing it with its constituent flavors---but it's the magical hand of the master distiller that finalizes---and maximizes---that spirit.

(And on a not-so-unimportant side note, it must give a sense of 'extended mortality' for said master distiller, as his or her work will last for many, many years after he or she shuffles off the coil.)

Lovely TN, Hoke. Ancestrale costs €347 here so I think that I can resist going out to buy it .

But I urge you to taste it if you can, Tim, if for no other reason than to experience that transmutative aspect that happens between the 30 YO des Anges and the 70 YO Ancestrale. The Ancestrale is an altogether different creature than the former.

I didn't want to go too far into the new-wavy kinda stuff , but there was a definite element, albeit brief, of going back to the origin and 'closing the circle' somehow with the Ancestrale.

Perhaps sometime, somewhere you can hazard a small sample in a posh place, or perhaps visit Le Paradis at Ferrand and have a go?

Or cultivate rich friends?

Never say never!

Thanks Hoke!
I agree the “extraction process” or what I like to call the “steeping process in reverse” where the oak barrels transfers all its “goodness” to the “spirit” could happen “fairly” quickly depending upon the strength of the spirit going into the barrel. But the maturing or aging process itself, and because of the porous nature of the wood the oak barrel allows the spirit to react with its “outside environment” and undergo chemical changes. Here I think it is more or less “out of man’s hands”. Surely “ideal” or ‘desirable” cellar climatic conditions can be controlled to a degree. But does man fully understand this part of the maturing process or aging process? Does a microbe or fungus play a role in this? The only thing we can do, is do barrel sampling to see how it is progressing and are we getting “desirable” results. As far as letting the “spirit” pick up “desirable oxidation” characteristics, I would think that would be the last thing you would want to do, because once you obtained the “desirable” color and “finished” product you would want to bottle it soon afterwards.

Salute

Here I think it is more or less “out of man’s hands”. .

Well, yeah, I'd pretty much agree that it is mostly out of man's hands. Mostly.

Surely “ideal” or ‘desirable” cellar climatic conditions can be controlled to a degree.

As a matter of fact, they are controlled---as you say, to a degree. Specifically, Ferrand maintains different cellars in different locations with different conditions. Essentially, they classify them as "wet"---high humidity---and "dry"----very low humidity. But I assume there are inherent differences in air flow and extant molds and fungi, perhaps other things I don't know about. Ferrand does say the results from the different cellars are distinctive and noticeable.

But does man fully understand this part of the maturing process or aging process?

Oh, I'd seriously doubt that. And I'd seriously doubt that anyone at Ferrand would even think of saying they fully understand. They are simply working off years of experience and generations of experience before them. There are few things less impressive and amazing to me than a master blender at work. They are truly magicians.

? Does a microbe or fungus play a role in this? The only thing we can do, is do barrel sampling to see how it is progressing and are we getting “desirable” results. As far as letting the “spirit” pick up “desirable oxidation” characteristics, I would think that would be the last thing you would want to do, because once you obtained the “desirable” color and “finished” product you would want to bottle it soon afterwards.

And that is essentially what they do...sample the barrels, and calculate whether in their estimation they have reached an optimal state. (With the caveat that always applies in Cognac with older barrels, that you have to maintain older barrels intact because you need older barrels to help make the older designations in enough quantity...and you can only do that with older cognacs. As was explained to me very clearly, the older cognacs aren't necessarily all that good in comparison---but they are old, and therefore necessary. And that's why they remain rare---and the exalted ones like Ancestrale even more rare.

As to once obtaining the "desirable" elements---and here I'm not talking so much about color, as that can be remedied largely by other cognacs being added in small amounts---why wouldn't you want to bottle it at what you considered optimum? That would be ideal, wouldn't it?