Vieux Carré
Rye and Cognac share equal billing with vermouth, while Bénédictine and Peychaud’s add herbal and spice accents.
Brandy
Widow’s Kiss
Calvados meets yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine, creating a dense apple-and-herb profile with significant liqueur sweetness.
Brandy Crusta
Brandy and citrus liqueur sit inside a tart, aromatic frame, with rim sugar and peel affecting each sip.
Aged Grape Brandy
A grape-derived spirit combining fruit and fermentation character with oak maturation. Expressions range from relatively light, floral and fruity to concentrated, spicy and developed. Cognac and Armagnac occupy protected branches of this wider family; they do not define every possible grape brandy.
Apple Brandy / Applejack
An apple-derived spirit ranging from fresh, aromatic unaged expressions to richly oaked examples with baked-apple and spice associations. The apple may be vivid or woven into the mature character. This entry is distinct from the separately listed blend with neutral spirits.
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Armagnac
A protected Gascon grape spirit, most often encountered after oak maturation, with fruit, spice and developed earthy or nutty detail. It can be supple or robust. “Rustic” is not a sufficient tasting note and should not be treated as a mandatory quality or style characteristic.
Blended Applejack
An apple-brandy blend designed around a lighter or more restrained expression than some all-brandy products. Apple and wood can remain noticeable, but their intensity depends on the actual formulation. The class should be evaluated on balance and intended use rather than automatically ranked below apple brandy.
Botanical Brandy
A brandy-based spirit flavored through real botanical material, with the botanical and fruit-spirit contributions arranged in varying proportions. Herbal, floral, citrus, root or spice character may lead. This is a broad ADI process category, not a promise of one particular flavour.
Calvados
A protected Normandy cider or perry spirit matured in oak, with apple, pear and wood appearing in different balances. Young expressions may emphasize fresh orchard fruit; longer maturation can introduce baked fruit, spice, nuts and more developed savoury detail.
Cognac
A protected French grape brandy with an interplay of fruit, flowers and oak. Younger expressions can emphasize fresh fruit and direct spice; mature examples may develop dried fruit, nuts, cocoa and complex savoury notes. Age categories provide boundaries, not automatic quality grades.