Michel Huard "Hors d'Age - Couvreur Ex-Sherry Cask" Calvados

The Huard family has lived on the Le Pertyer property in the Suisse-Normand for seven generations; Jean-Francois Guillouet took over in 2012 when his grandfather Michel passed away. Nearly 1,800 trees on standard rootstock (hautes-tiges) grace the 15-hectare property, which is considered the most admired in the AOC Calvados appellation. The soil is loamy, composed of an ideal combination of silt and clay, and about 30 varieties of apples are grown on the property, predominantly from the sweet and bittersweet categories. Jean-Francois ferments and ages his cider for about 8–12 months before it is single distilled in a traveling, wood-fired column still. The spirits then go into large, elongated barrels (stained black by time) or well-seasoned 400-liter barrels ideal for developing complex flavor.

The late Michel Couvreur dedicated his life to understanding and celebrating the effects of maturation on the great spirits of the world. He became renowned for his whiskies, distilled in Scotland and aged in the 15-meter-deep tunnels of the custom cave he had built behind his house in Burgundy. Michel’s preference for using historic sherry casks for maturation (versus casks seasoned with sherry for secondary aging purposes) is still maintained by the estate today.

These complex Amontillado casks have lent their dimension to Huard-Guillouet’s already stellar Hors d’Age, resulting in a Calvados that plumbs new depths of maillard-reaction-like lushness while retaining a bright, acidic spark.