Coldorak's whisky blog.
Day 22 of the Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar brings an independent bottling: Les Grandes Jouberteries Lot 65 from Authentic Spirits. A few months ago, this bottler impressed us with an excellent La Prenellerie cognac, but Les Grandes Jouberteries steps onto our radar for the first time today. As always, new names deserve a proper introduction before the review, so let’s get to know Les Grandes Jouberteries first.
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Time to open the 18th pouch of our Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar! Today (well, technically yesterday, since I publish the next morning to avoid spoiling other calendar owners), we discovered a La Récession 42-year-old Cognac. Cognac-Expert created La Récession as a brand to release a handful of sourced cognacs from négociants, bottled exclusively for them. Who from, you ask? Well, you might learn more after the break.
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The fourteenth pouch of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar brings back a cherished name: Famille Cabanne, this time with a Fins Bois Lot 89. Last years calendar still lingers in memory thanks to Richard Delisle Lot 53 – Famille Cabanne in disguise – which delivered an absolutely stunning experience. Their Lot 24 Grande Champagne, a 100-year-old marvel, impressed even more and left us speechless until it came time to put the glass content into words. Now a new Fins Bois from the same family steps up, and expectations run very high for this Lot 89.
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Day 6 of the Cognac-Expert advent calendar shifts the spotlight back to Guynot, with the XO Exception N°37, a limited-edition Fins Bois cognac. After spending time with their Guynot XO Elegance a few months ago – a 45-year-old Fins Bois that aligned beautifully with our preferences – today’s dram lets us explore a younger take on the same house style. As an XO, it brings together eaux-de-vie with at least a decade of age, even hinting at a way greater age, setting the stage for a more energetic interpretation of Guynot’s Fins Bois character.
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We’re back to Cognac with a pair of old Fins Bois cognacs. The particularity of the Fins Bois terroir in Cognac lies in its diverse soil composition, maritime climate, and its position as the largest and most prolific cru in the Cognac region. The soils in Fins Bois range from red, iron-rich rocky soils to heavy clay, chalk, and limestone patches. This diversity contributes to a wide variety of eaux-de-vie with marked fruity and floral aromas, often described as having a fresh, grape-forward character reminiscent of freshly pressed grapes and fruit blossoms. In our glass today are a Guynot Elégance and a Bégaud Instant Rare, two Fins Bois cognacs.
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Fanny Fougerat Cognac is a small, independent house founded in 2013 by Fanny Fougerat, who represents the fourth generation of her family to work as winegrowers and distillers. Unlike previous generations, who sold their eaux-de-vie to major Cognac houses, Fanny decided to bottle her own Cognac, focusing on expressing the character of her vineyards in Borderies and Fins Bois. She produces single-parcel, non-blended cognacs in order to highlight the terroir and showcase freshness, finesse, and precision (her words). Her approach aims to offer a transparent and distinctive alternative to the traditional image of Cognac, with each release labelled by barrel and bottle number. We review today an older release: the Fanny Fougerat Le Notoire Cognac.
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This week, we return to Cognac to review something entirely new – a 17-year-old Fins Bois Cognac that Godet hasn’t released yet: the Godet Single Cask Spring 2025 Edition. Back in December 2024, we sampled a Godet 43-year-old single cask Cognac (their Fall 2024 edition) as part of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, we’re excited to explore a younger offering from this esteemed Cognac house with their Godet Single Cask Spring 2025 Edition.
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We’re unfortunately approaching the end of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar as we’re already on the 19th cognac today: a Godet Single Cask Fall Edition. Cognac Godet, based in La Rochelle, France, has a history dating back to 1588 when it was founded by Dutch merchant Bonaventure Godet. The company has remained in the hands of the Godet family for 15 generations, making it one of the oldest family-run Cognac houses still in operation.
In 1699, under the reign of Louis XIV, Jean Godet was ennobled and granted a coat of arms featuring three goblets and a star, reflecting the family’s longstanding involvement in Cognac production. The Godet family successfully navigated challenges like the phylloxera crisis of the late 19th century, replanting their vineyards around La Rochelle and maintaining their focus on producing high-quality Cognac.
Now led by the 15th generation, with brothers Jean-Édouard, Maxime, and Cyril Godet, the company continues to blend tradition with innovation. Their work includes preserving rare grape varieties and emphasising craftsmanship in their cognacs, such as in the “Roots of Cognac” collection.
The house’s location near the Atlantic Ocean has played a significant role in its history, with cellars positioned along the La Rochelle coastline for centuries. This proximity to the sea is said to influence the character of their cognacs, which reflect the family’s long experience and dedication to their craft.
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We’ve reached the fifteenth pouch in the Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, and today it’s the Vallein Tercinier Liaison Intime. I’ve been especially excited for this one, and for a rather whisky-related reason. A few years ago, whilst working with Dingle Distillery and assisting Graham and Fay Coull at Whisky Live Paris, I had the chance to introduce Graham to some cognacs during a break. Naturally, I brought him to the Vallein Tercinier booth.
We tasted their full lineup, and Graham was so impressed that I introduced him to the Vallein Tercinier family. This led to the acquisition of several cognac casks to mature or finish some Dingle whiskey. Over the next two editions of Whisky Live Paris, the Vallein Tercinier team stopped by to sample the Dingle whiskey finished in their casks – and they loved it! But enough about my story – let’s dive into Vallein Tercinier and take a closer look at their Liaison Intime Cognac.
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Behind ‘door #11’ of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar (in fact, it‘’’s not doors but pouches), we found a Raymond Bossis XO Limited Edition N°1 Cognac. The Domaine des Groies, established in 1919 with its purchase by Philippe Bétard, has been managed by successive generations of the Bossis family. Auguste Bossis planted the first vines in 1924, assisted by his wife Marie, but it wasn’t until 1957, under the leadership of their son Raymond, that the vineyard began to grow. In 1960, the estate distilled its first Cognac, with the last bottles from that initial production sold nearly 50 years later, in 2008. Over the years, Raymond and his wife Michelle expanded the estate, focusing on direct sales and introducing Pineau des Charentes in the 1970s.
In 1993, Raymond’s son Jean-Luc took over, diversifying the estate’s offerings to include Cognac, Pineau des Charentes, traditional-method sparkling wines, and natural grape juice. His brother Jean-Marie joined in 2009, managing bottling and sales for domestic and international markets. Despite his advanced age, Raymond continues to play an active role, celebrating the estate‘’’s centenary in 2019 surrounded by family and friends.
Committed to sustainability, the Domaine des Groies practices integrated farming under the Optimus protocol and is working toward High Environmental Value (HVE) certification. As members of the Federation of Independent Winegrowers, they ensure direct involvement in all aspects of production, reflecting the family’s dedication to quality and tradition. Let’s shortly explain what the Optimus Protocol is below, then we’ll try this Raymond Bossis XO Limited Edition N°1 Cognac.
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