Review: Bhakta Calvados 1989

Bhakta Spirits, known for its rare whiskeys and Armagnacs, is moving into another spirits category, and this one’s a curious choice: Calvados, aka French apple brandy.

Its inaugural bottling of Bhakta 1989 Pays d’Auge Calvados is its first-ever single varietal Calvados offering. Only 3 barrels are being turned out.

Some details:

Distilled in Normandy’s prestigious Pays d’Auge subregion and borne of 20 cider-specific heirloom apple varieties, BHAKTA 1989 Calvados boasts an astonishing 35 years of age on release. BHAKTA 1989 Calvados also symbolizes the Vermont- and France-based House of Vintages’ continued mission to preserve, protect, and popularize heritage brandy categories of luxury and renown— championing rarity and delivering it at global economic scale, while also safeguarding centuries-old French distilling traditions for the edification of future generations of craftsmen and consumers to come.

Like Armagnac and its more polished stepbrother Cognac, Calvados is a highly traditional heritage brandy considered a cultural touchstone of its French homeland. But unlike Armagnac — which is borne of grapes in the southwestern region of Gascony — Calvados is distilled from apples in the nation’s northwestern region of Normandy.

Calvados isn’t something that regularly makes an appearance on our tasting shelves, but we’re always game to give this orchard delicacy a try. Let’s dive in.

Bhakta Calvados 1989 Review

Boldly floral in the way that Calvados invariably is, some time in glass helps the nose of this well-aged apple brandy to mellow out, coaxing out aromas of caramel sauce and, of course, spiced, baked apples with the skins intact. The floral notes merge into a racy perfume as it develops, layered with lavender, lilac, and dried rose petals.

The palate showcases the glory of old Calvados, which is to say its apple notes are tamed, gently sweetened with vanilla, caramel, and some milk chocolate. Time in glass is practically an imperative with this brandy, helping to quiet the racier floral notes on display, which can be aggressive and a little soapy at times when freshly poured. Letting things mellow helps this trip through the garden coalesce into a whole that is more than the sum of its parts, concluding with a twist of citrus peel, a bite of crisp Granny Smith apple, and a concluding bite of blossom.

91.6 proof.

A- / $235

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