...and I can offer you more! We're going into the category that really caught my attention first: Armagnac.
The journey takes us to the beginning of my spirits career:
I was born and grew up in Schleswig-Holstein, but every summer I went to my mother's homeland: France. To be precise, to a town next to Toulouse - right in the Armagnac region.
Even though my parents had nothing to do with the beverage industry or spirits, they wanted to support my passion for spirits. The first bottle of high-quality stuff they gave me for my 16th birthday was a bottle of Armagnac. What a beautiful A change from the moonshine I had been making since I was 15! I fell in love and have been able to visit this wonderful region with all its great producers many times since then.
My personal favorite among them: Domaine Seailles.
The probably most underrated spirits category in the world has incredible things to offer - especially when it comes to very old stocks. Stocks and vintages that the whisky and rum world can only dream of.
And Seailles is in a league of his own! Julien is incredibly likeable and modest, and his material is simply great.
The spirit is made from the vines of his organic winery (organic since 2002).
What I often criticize about whisky is that it lacks personality. The individual character of each distillery.
Not only does Seailles have its own character, which is ideal for heavy rum drinkers – each individual vintage is bursting with individuality!
At the German Armagnac Festival 2024, he handed me a glass. "What the hell?!" I thought to myself. Incredibly powerful and complex, totally awesome, but at the same time overloaded, a bit dirty.
A 1985, matured in a Rivesaltes barrel. BAM! What a beast! But too extreme. The material was no longer balanced. But I had to have it anyway. But I didn't want to leave it like that.
So I got to work: 2/3 1985, matured in Rivesaltes barrels, married with 1/3 1975, classically matured in French oak.
Et voilà! The taste miracle is ready by definition. An unprecedented explosion of taste and (as far as I know) the first of its kind!
This symphony is so powerful and intense that I can proudly tell you: This is the richest Armagnac I have ever had!
And you remember:
My promise for "The Spirit Traveller" was and is to offer the best price-enjoyment ratio. To generally convince with great stuff that makes the respective category look really good and thus opens up the world of spirits. We have already succeeded in doing this with our first bottling, as the very successful start shows.
We're going one step further here. The bottle costs just €99.90, bottled at cask strength at 47.3% VOL.
Let some other spirits category show me that! The youngest drop in this material was in the barrel for almost 39 years! 1/3 even 49 years! So almost 50 years! (Since according to Armagnac guidelines, the barrel maturation period only begins on April 1st of the following year, the youngest part is officially 38 years old.)
Even at the risk of running out of exclamation marks: Can you imagine that?! It was only just bottled! To be precise, on October 22nd, 2024!
50 years! Just for fun, you can google a single malt whisky that has been aged for 39 years in a cask... or even a 49 year old one... Have fun!
Oh man! How grateful I am for this privilege! For the legacy that people like Julien and many of my ancestors have created. That I can sit here today and buy barrels from this great person who are older than me.
This world of aged spirits is simply wonderful.
Full of humility, I sit here with a glass in my hand and write these words.
Thanks to Julien for these two barrels.
Thank you for allowing me to enjoy something so wonderful.
Thank you for all my great trips.
Thank you for the greatest job in the world.
To the shop
Hard Facts:
(Since we list everything on the label, here is the file:)
The journey takes us to the beginning of my spirits career:
I was born and grew up in Schleswig-Holstein, but every summer I went to my mother's homeland: France. To be precise, to a town next to Toulouse - right in the Armagnac region.
Even though my parents had nothing to do with the beverage industry or spirits, they wanted to support my passion for spirits. The first bottle of high-quality stuff they gave me for my 16th birthday was a bottle of Armagnac. What a beautiful A change from the moonshine I had been making since I was 15! I fell in love and have been able to visit this wonderful region with all its great producers many times since then.
My personal favorite among them: Domaine Seailles.
The probably most underrated spirits category in the world has incredible things to offer - especially when it comes to very old stocks. Stocks and vintages that the whisky and rum world can only dream of.
And Seailles is in a league of his own! Julien is incredibly likeable and modest, and his material is simply great.
The spirit is made from the vines of his organic winery (organic since 2002).
What I often criticize about whisky is that it lacks personality. The individual character of each distillery.
Not only does Seailles have its own character, which is ideal for heavy rum drinkers – each individual vintage is bursting with individuality!
At the German Armagnac Festival 2024, he handed me a glass. "What the hell?!" I thought to myself. Incredibly powerful and complex, totally awesome, but at the same time overloaded, a bit dirty.
A 1985, matured in a Rivesaltes barrel. BAM! What a beast! But too extreme. The material was no longer balanced. But I had to have it anyway. But I didn't want to leave it like that.
So I got to work: 2/3 1985, matured in Rivesaltes barrels, married with 1/3 1975, classically matured in French oak.
Et voilà! The taste miracle is ready by definition. An unprecedented explosion of taste and (as far as I know) the first of its kind!
This symphony is so powerful and intense that I can proudly tell you: This is the richest Armagnac I have ever had!
And you remember:
My promise for "The Spirit Traveller" was and is to offer the best price-enjoyment ratio. To generally convince with great stuff that makes the respective category look really good and thus opens up the world of spirits. We have already succeeded in doing this with our first bottling, as the very successful start shows.
We're going one step further here. The bottle costs just €99.90, bottled at cask strength at 47.3% VOL.
Let some other spirits category show me that! The youngest drop in this material was in the barrel for almost 39 years! 1/3 even 49 years! So almost 50 years! (Since according to Armagnac guidelines, the barrel maturation period only begins on April 1st of the following year, the youngest part is officially 38 years old.)
Even at the risk of running out of exclamation marks: Can you imagine that?! It was only just bottled! To be precise, on October 22nd, 2024!
50 years! Just for fun, you can google a single malt whisky that has been aged for 39 years in a cask... or even a 49 year old one... Have fun!
Oh man! How grateful I am for this privilege! For the legacy that people like Julien and many of my ancestors have created. That I can sit here today and buy barrels from this great person who are older than me.
This world of aged spirits is simply wonderful.
Full of humility, I sit here with a glass in my hand and write these words.
Thanks to Julien for these two barrels.
Thank you for allowing me to enjoy something so wonderful.
Thank you for all my great trips.
Thank you for the greatest job in the world.
To the shop
Hard Facts:
(Since we list everything on the label, here is the file:)
3 comments
Oliver Lemp
Lieber Nicolas,
mit Spannung habe ich auf die Mail gewartet um diesen wundervollen Stoff bestellen zu können. Und siehe da, meine Aufmerksamkeit hat sich gelohnt und ich konnte gerade nicht widerstehen gleich 2 Flaschen davon zu bestellen. Eine zum probieren und eine zum sichern für später :-) Vielleicht auch als Ausgleich, weil ich bei der ersten Ausgabe zu langsam war. ;-)
Es macht wirklich Spass deine Blogs zu lesen, weil man merkt, wie sehr Du für die Sache brennst. Und das ist etwas, was heutzutage leider selten geworden ist. Ich hatte es schonmal an anderer Stelle geschrieben: Danke an Dich und das Team hinter Wagemut, danke für Eure Arbeit und danke für den genialen Stoff, den ihr uns beschert.
Ich freue mich drauf :-)
Viele Grüße
Oliver
Lieber Nicolas,
mit Spannung habe ich auf die Mail gewartet um diesen wundervollen Stoff bestellen zu können. Und siehe da, meine Aufmerksamkeit hat sich gelohnt und ich konnte gerade nicht widerstehen gleich 2 Flaschen davon zu bestellen. Eine zum probieren und eine zum sichern für später :-) Vielleicht auch als Ausgleich, weil ich bei der ersten Ausgabe zu langsam war. ;-)
Es macht wirklich Spass deine Blogs zu lesen, weil man merkt, wie sehr Du für die Sache brennst. Und das ist etwas, was heutzutage leider selten geworden ist. Ich hatte es schonmal an anderer Stelle geschrieben: Danke an Dich und das Team hinter Wagemut, danke für Eure Arbeit und danke für den genialen Stoff, den ihr uns beschert.
Ich freue mich drauf :-)
Viele Grüße
Oliver
Matthias Wittstock
Lieber Nicolas, ich bekomme Gänsehaut beim Lesen! Deine Begeisterung und gleichzeitige Dankbarkeit und Demut sind praktisch greifbar. Habe mir sofort eine Flasche gesichert und musste der Versuchung widerstehen, gleich zwei zu bestellen. Bei der 1. Ausgabe des Travellers war ich leider zu langsam und bin leer ausgegangen.
Viele Grüße und Alles Gute
Matthias
Lieber Nicolas, ich bekomme Gänsehaut beim Lesen! Deine Begeisterung und gleichzeitige Dankbarkeit und Demut sind praktisch greifbar. Habe mir sofort eine Flasche gesichert und musste der Versuchung widerstehen, gleich zwei zu bestellen. Bei der 1. Ausgabe des Travellers war ich leider zu langsam und bin leer ausgegangen.
Viele Grüße und Alles Gute
Matthias
JoJordan
Armagnac, kraftvoll, wild trifft es besser, vielschichtig, in jeder der von mir bisher verkosteten anderthalb Dutzend Flaschen eine Mischung aus Spannung, Genuss und Spaß im Glas.
Mit der Probe für die Member auf der Zunge suchte ich hektisch im Schrank nach der Flasche, die bisher meine höchste Bewertung hatte, um sie zu vergleichen.
Das, was hier kommt, ist mindestens eine Klasse besser als alles, was ich bisher an Armagnac kosten durfte. Okay die Flasche meines Geburtsjahrgangs wird erst nächstes Jahr geöffnet, aber sonst… Hammer!
Glückwunsch zu diesem ganz außergewöhnlichen Tropfen!
Armagnac, kraftvoll, wild trifft es besser, vielschichtig, in jeder der von mir bisher verkosteten anderthalb Dutzend Flaschen eine Mischung aus Spannung, Genuss und Spaß im Glas.
Mit der Probe für die Member auf der Zunge suchte ich hektisch im Schrank nach der Flasche, die bisher meine höchste Bewertung hatte, um sie zu vergleichen.
Das, was hier kommt, ist mindestens eine Klasse besser als alles, was ich bisher an Armagnac kosten durfte. Okay die Flasche meines Geburtsjahrgangs wird erst nächstes Jahr geöffnet, aber sonst… Hammer!
Glückwunsch zu diesem ganz außergewöhnlichen Tropfen!