Adrien Camut Calvados 6ans - 70cl
The Camut family don't chase fashion, and that's rather the point. Six generations in the Pays d'Auge, they distil only their own apples, ferment the cider in wood for the better part of a year, and run it twice through wood-fired copper stills. This is the 6 ans — their most approachable release, and a lovely way into a producer many consider the finest in Calvados.
Pays d'Auge is the top appellation in Normandy for apple brandy, and everything here is grown on tall-tree orchards the family has tended for decades. After distillation the spirit rests a minimum of six years in large Limousin oak vats, reduced gently with rainwater rather than tap. Nothing is rushed.
Pour it and you get fresh apple straight away, then toffee and a little milk chocolate underneath. The palate is rich and mouth-coating for something at 41% — stewed plum, dried apricot, a butterscotch warmth, with a thread of acidity keeping it honest. The finish carries cinnamon and a faint whisper of the orchard. A few drops of water lift the fruit if you fancy, though it doesn't need it.
This is an after-dinner dram, or the bottle you reach for when the evening slows down and you want something with genuine depth.
How to Serve
Neat at room temperature in a tulip glass or small brandy snifter. Skip the ice — it mutes the fruit. Add a drop of water if you want to open up the aromatics.
Where to Drink It
Dukes Bar in St James's, for old-world calm. The Connaught Bar, where a serious digestif is treated with the respect it deserves. Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood for a nightcap by the fire.
Food Pairings
Wonderful with a wedge of aged Comté, or poured alongside a proper tarte Tatin while it's still warm.
