Swell de Spirits Flashback Series #5 Mestepes BA 1990 58,1%

This Bas-Armagnac was distilled in 1990 at Domaine de Mestepès and bottled by Swell de Spirits as part of their Flashback Series. Made from a multi-grape blend, it was aged for over 30 years (bottled in December 2022) before being released at cask strength.

Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Opulent oak presence blended with candied red fruits, cherry and strawberry, and strong ristretto notes. Slightly mushroomy at times, but clearly focused on the coffee spectrum. Wet rancio follows, with damp cellar and oud-like impressions. Subtle toffee notes linger in the background.

Palate: Powerful and structured. Heavy tannins and intense peppery notes dominate, with strong cigar aromas in the aftertaste. Salty and smoky nuances appear, which I’m not really used to finding in an armagnac. Nutty undertones evoke unexpected parallels with something like a Kilkerran 8yo.

Last notes: With air, leathery notes become more prominent. The high ABV feels rather aggressive here. Briny olive oil, black pepper and paprika return. A few mentholated touches emerge, and with a drop of water, some caramel-sweet notes show up. The finish leans toward precious woods and licorice.

A disturbing Bas-Armagnac, but in a good way. The peppery and smoky character is fascinating and quite singular. With better integration of wood and alcohol, this could have gone significantly higher.

My very subjective note: 86+/100