Boulard

Some serious Calvados luxury.

Pierre-Auguste Boulard was one of the first pioneers in the Calvados category a.k.a. an apple Brandy that can only be produced in the Normandy region in France. Kind of like Cognac, Champagne etc.,it needs to bear the AOC, which stands for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (Controlled Designation of Origin). In 1942, it was actually the Boulard family that supported the initiative that would lead to the creation of the AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge. The Boulard family has been producing Calvados at the same spot in the town of Coquainvilliers in French Normandy since 1825 when Pierre-Auguste set up a Cider and Calvados distillery. In 2007, Spirit France acquired them but Maison Boulard is still run by Vincent Boulard, the 5th-generation of the Boulard family.

Boulard Extra Calvados Pays d'Auge was released as part of their Luxury Collection. Ooh-la-la! Anyway, it took Cellar Master Richard Prével a long time to craft this expression. Seven years, to be precise. He took their best stocks and selected the finest, oldest, and most subtle Calvados to blend together. The result is incredibly elegant with plenty of aromas of light fruit, floral notes, oak, hints of smoke, coffee, and licorice.