Pere Magloire XO Calvados du Pays d'Auge

A “sensational treat” = “Pere Magloire” in French.

Pere Magloire is a brand of Calvados with a rich history. It was established in 1821, the year when the great Napoleon croaked. By 1900, it was the number one selling Calvados in France. Ah, yeah, what exactly is Calvados, you ask. It's an apple Brandy made exclusively in the Normandy region. The "eau de vie de cidre", as the French call it, is actually distilled cider, which is made from specially grown apples. Not every apple is good enough for this Spirit.

Now, this Calvado comes from Pays d'Auge, where the majority of cider houses of France reside. It's a limited kind of Calvados since there's a ton of requirements and a tight quality control, the Spirit has to be aged at least for two years in oak barrels and cider must ferment at least for six weeks. Quite exclusive stuff right here. What's more, this one is XO, which is the same as "Hors d'Age" or "Napoléon" and means that it's at least six years old. Now, Pere Magloire is a bit of a show off, so they aged it for a decade. And to boast even further: it got a Double Gold at San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012!