Day 9 of the Cognac‑Expert 2025 Advent Calendar lines up another Borderies heavyweight: a Godet 29‑year‑old single cask. Two earlier Godet single casks already set the bar high – a very good 43‑year‑old and an excellent 17‑year‑old – so this one arrives with serious expectations, sitting almost perfectly between them on the age spectrum. Time to see whether this 29‑year‑old carves out its own place in that line‑up or even manages to steal the spotlight.
Godet 29-year-old Single Cask (2025) Review
This new Godet single cask comes from the Borderies cru, where clay and limestone soils shape its character. It uses Ugni Blanc grapes and spent its entire life in a single fine‑grained Tronçais oak cask, number FB2311. The cognac rested for 29 years in a dry cellar before Godet bottled it in October 2025 at 43.2% ABV, without chill filtration or added colouring. A bottle currently runs at about €165, for example from Cognac‑Expert.
Colour:
Cider.
Nose:
Neat: The nose explodes from the glass with immediate intensity, all lush rum notes, toasted wood, orange peel, ripe apricots, peach stones and brown sugar. A fresher, herbaceous streak runs underneath – somewhere between eucalyptus and menthol – intertwined with a darker, autumnal note of fallen leaves.
Palate:
Neat: The palate starts on the lighter side but quickly builds in power, bringing assertive peppery heat and prickly acidity. Caramel-flavoured cough syrup and toasted wood introduce a marked bitterness, reinforced by chilli and jalapeño pepper, while cane sugar syrup and thoughts of crêpes Suzette flambéed with triple sec add a richer, sweeter counterpoint. The mouthfeel stays a little light, despite the lack of chill filtration.
Finish:
The finish runs to a medium length, slightly dry, focused on concentrated caramel and lingering spice.
Comments:
Less reduction proves its value here. Just 3.2% ABV above the legal minimum, and the nose explodes from the glass with real intensity. On the palate, though, the mouthfeel still feels a little light, even without chill filtration. The profile shows, once again, what comes across as classic Borderies woodiness on the palate. Where the nose shines bright and fruity, the palate turns darker, more bitter and more heavily wooded, giving the whole cognac a slightly rustic edge. It still stands as a very good Borderies, provided you enjoy this style.