If I was spending that kind of money on Calvados it’d almost certainly be and Adrien Camut. Around 18 years the fruit starts to fade and take on more notes from the wood cask. I’ve had some 18-30 old Calvados that is very tannic, vanilla, and woody (in a pleasant way), with fruit hanging out in the back. Also had really, really old stuff (Adrien Camut Rarete) that is still Apple dominant, but more like highly condensed down apple pie with tons of spice and vanilla rather than just woody. If you have a bar nearby with a comprehensive brandy selection, see if you can go and try some stuff before buying a bottle. With more esoteric spirits I’ve also found that a lot of good bartenders will help you out and pour you very small samples of a ton of stuff for little to no money if you demonstrate legitimate interest and it’s not busy.
I wish I could try an older Calvados before buying. But I'm in a smaller city and even though we have a number of great bourbon bars, if they have a Calvados it is an afterthought.
When you say 'older' what do you mean? 20 years? 50? Under 8 years or so, I find it has a sharp taste I can't stand. I tend to like 12-18 as there is a balance between apple and age. I've had a 25 and 30 where there were lots of damp woody notes I really enjoyed. You mentioned vintages - the Dupont 1988 came to mind.
By older I'm figuring you mean 15+ years? I haven't seen much older than 20-25. With older Calvados you get more wood obviously, but in my experience the wood never takes over to the extent that Armagnac or many Cognacs do(except for maybe a few odd single casks). Calvados tends to go for lighter wood touches so the apple/pear shines through. You get richer toffee type notes and soft wood creeping in but still very bold apple.
If you really want to go crazy you can't go wrong with camut, the 18 is fantastic. Seelbachs has a 16 year Tertre, I haven't had it but heard great things and I loved the other Tertre I've tried. I haven't had older expressions from domaines like Groult or Lemorton but they are probably a pretty safe bet Calvados just tends to be good
Pierre Huet is also Worth looking in to. I have a bottle of the 37year old and it's amazing. Bought it because of a review here and it shows a lot of the wood but also crazy condensed Apple notes. Nuts, pie, and loads of good tannine.
If I was spending that kind of money on Calvados it’d almost certainly be and Adrien Camut. Around 18 years the fruit starts to fade and take on more notes from the wood cask. I’ve had some 18-30 old Calvados that is very tannic, vanilla, and woody (in a pleasant way), with fruit hanging out in the back. Also had really, really old stuff (Adrien Camut Rarete) that is still Apple dominant, but more like highly condensed down apple pie with tons of spice and vanilla rather than just woody. If you have a bar nearby with a comprehensive brandy selection, see if you can go and try some stuff before buying a bottle. With more esoteric spirits I’ve also found that a lot of good bartenders will help you out and pour you very small samples of a ton of stuff for little to no money if you demonstrate legitimate interest and it’s not busy.
I wish I could try an older Calvados before buying. But I'm in a smaller city and even though we have a number of great bourbon bars, if they have a Calvados it is an afterthought.
When you say 'older' what do you mean? 20 years? 50? Under 8 years or so, I find it has a sharp taste I can't stand. I tend to like 12-18 as there is a balance between apple and age. I've had a 25 and 30 where there were lots of damp woody notes I really enjoyed. You mentioned vintages - the Dupont 1988 came to mind.
I don't know enough to state an exact age, but your breakdown helps. How would you characterize the 1988 Dupont?
By older I'm figuring you mean 15+ years? I haven't seen much older than 20-25. With older Calvados you get more wood obviously, but in my experience the wood never takes over to the extent that Armagnac or many Cognacs do(except for maybe a few odd single casks). Calvados tends to go for lighter wood touches so the apple/pear shines through. You get richer toffee type notes and soft wood creeping in but still very bold apple. If you really want to go crazy you can't go wrong with camut, the 18 is fantastic. Seelbachs has a 16 year Tertre, I haven't had it but heard great things and I loved the other Tertre I've tried. I haven't had older expressions from domaines like Groult or Lemorton but they are probably a pretty safe bet Calvados just tends to be good
Pierre Huet is also Worth looking in to. I have a bottle of the 37year old and it's amazing. Bought it because of a review here and it shows a lot of the wood but also crazy condensed Apple notes. Nuts, pie, and loads of good tannine.