Busnel Calvados Pays d'Auge - 70cl

Busnel has been distilling in the heart of Normandy since 1820, and this is their Pays d'Auge VSOP — the appellation that sits at the top of the Calvados tree. More than twenty apple varieties go into it, from sharp to bittersweet, which is exactly how a serious Pays d'Auge is built.

What sets Pays d'Auge apart is the double distillation in copper pot stills, the same method used for Cognac, followed by patient ageing in French oak. It gives a rounder, more layered spirit than the lighter column-still Calvados you'll find elsewhere. This one picked up Best VSOP at the 2023 World Calvados Awards, for what it's worth — and it drinks like it.

The nose is soft and welcoming: ripe apple with a toasted, almost pastry-like edge. The palate leads with baked apple and pear, then caramel, cinnamon and a light toffee sweetness, before a warm, gently spiced finish with just enough oak tannin to keep it structured. Bottled at 40%, it's approachable but far from simple. A drop of water softens the spice if you like.

This is a proper autumn-and-winter spirit — the kind of thing you pour when the clocks have gone back and you want something warming that still tastes of fruit.

How to Serve

Neat in a tulip glass after dinner, or try the Norman trou normand — a small measure between courses. Also excellent in a Calvados-based twist on an Old Fashioned.

Where to Drink It

The Wolseley, for a Grand Café digestif. Boisdale of Belgravia. The Connaught Bar for a Calvados cocktail done properly.

Food Pairings

Made for apple tart or a baked Camembert. It also cuts beautifully through a rich pork terrine.