Advent Calendar Archives

Seguinot Réserve De La Famille Cognac

8th December 20257th December 2025Coldorak

We conclude our debut week of the Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar with a Seguinot Réserve de la Famille cognac. Though Seguinot represents a fresh addition to the More Drams portfolio, the house commands deep respect within Cognac circles – a distinction you’ll discover in our background section below. The calendar has delivered consistently very good expressions throughout this opening week, so let’s see if day 7’s pouch carries that momentum forward with one of Seguinot’s most treasured releases, the Réserve de la Famille.

Guynot XO Exception N°37 Cognac

7th December 20256th December 2025Coldorak

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.

Vallein Tercinier Lot 96 Cognac

6th December 20255th December 2025Coldorak

Day 5 of the Cognac-Expert advent calendar delivers a familiar name with a prestigious twist: a Vallein Tercinier Lot 96 Cognac. While we explored one of their Lot 96 single casks a few months back – a solid Fins Bois expression – this pouch elevates the game with Grande Champagne terroir, the crown jewel of cognac crus.

Landreau XXO Grande Champagne Cognac

5th December 20254th December 2025Coldorak

We continue the journey to Christmas with the fourth pouch of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, where we discovered the Landreau XXO Grande Champagne Cognac. A few months ago, we enjoyed the Landreau L’Âge D’Or, alongside the Maze Churchill Origine N°1 found in yesterday’s pouch (hence the absence of review yesterday). This time, the Landreau XXO offers a younger expression, giving us a chance to see if the same high quality carries through lower in their range.

Egreteau Father’s Blend Cognac

3rd December 20252nd December 2025Coldorak

Looking forward to the second dram of the 2025 Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, we encounter the Egreteau Father’s Blend, continuing what has proven to be an exceptional series this year. Now, Egreteau needs little introduction – we’ve already explored the house in detail – but it’s worth recalling that we were genuinely convinced by the two Egreteau Fragments we reviewed back in May 2025. With that foundation of quality in mind, let’s discover what the Father’s Blend brings to the table.

Ragnaud Sabourin XXO Grande Champagne Cognac

Ragnaud Sabourin XXO Cognac

2nd December 20252nd December 2025Coldorak

We’re back to Cognac advent calendars for our second year, with this time again, the Cognac-Expert advent calendar. Before we start with the first cognac of this 2025 Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, a Ragnaud Sabourin XXO Cognac, let me add a disclaimer, for transparency purposes. If you read my reviews last year, you saw that most of the cognacs were delicious or even utterly splendid, with just a few of them being of a lower level. But, once again, this was my own and humble opinion, based on my analysis and my preferences, so it’s not the Holy Word. If last year I had bought myself the advent calendar, I was lucky that this year it was sent to me by Cognac-Expert directly, with no strings attached. We were all clear that I would still write what I want and what I think, as I’ve always done, and as I plan to always do. Thanks again to Taylor at Cognac-Expert, who handled all that. It’s very appreciated! End of disclaimer, let’s crack on with the holy liquid that was in yesterday’s pouch!

Balmenach 15yo Batch 4 That Boutique-y Whisky Company

1st September 202531st August 2025Coldorak

We stay another day on the advent calendar with the next window, the third of the 2024 Boutique-y Advent Calendar, where we found a sample of Balmenach 15-year-old Batch 4 That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Balmenach remains a relatively rare encounter, as noted during the first review of this distillery here – also the only one before this. So it is independent bottlers that primarily bring Balmenach to wider attention, with all but a few expressions experienced here coming from these indies. Appreciation goes to the independent bottlers for enabling whisky enthusiasts to explore this distillery beyond its typical role in blends.

Irish Single Malt Whiskey #1 15yo batch 6 TBWC

Irish #1 15yo Batch 6 That Boutique-y Whisky Company

29th August 202528th August 2025Coldorak

For several years now—though the exact starting point is unclear to me—the English retailer Master of Malt has organised its Whisky Santa event. Participants send their whisky wishes through social media for a chance to win, with some exceptional bottles chosen by the team at MoM as special prizes. Occasionally, this humble author took a chance, fully aware that winning seemed unlikely due to residing in France and the shipping restrictions caused by Brexit. Despite this, I continued to participate, and Whisky Santa eventually granted my wish at the end of last year by sending the Boutique-y Whisky Company 2024 Advent Calendar.

Since Whisky Santa could not ship directly to France—something about elves with outdated passports and a sled under repair—the calendar arrived at a trusted friend’s address. Coincidentally, that friend happens to be Dave Worthington, Boutique-y Whisky’s own brand ambassador. When we met again in London at the end of May, during a short trip with my children, the opportunity arose to collect all the whisky previously sent to Dave due to similar shipping challenges.

As this calendar now belongs to last year, and with plans to explore a Cognac advent calendar this year, I’ve decided to open it outside the traditional season. The tasting will not follow the original order; instead, some drams will be grouped together for review. For now, I’ll skip door number one and instead reveal door number two, which contained an Irish Single Malt Whiskey #1, 15-year-old Batch 6 from That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

François Voyer Hors d’Âge Cognac

25th December 202414th February 2025Coldorak

For our final dram – already unfortunately – in our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, we have a François Voyer Hors d’Âge Cognac, from the Grande Champagne cru. The Chauchet-Voyer family has cultivated their vineyard since the French Revolution in the villages of Verrières and Ambleville, in the Grande Champagne region, renowned for Cognac production. In the late 19th century, Paul André was among the few winemakers distilling their own harvest rather than selling it, leaving behind a legacy that includes numerous old eaux-de-vie and a Paradise filled with 1er cru de Cognac eaux-de-vie.

François Voyer Cognac is made exclusively from Grande Champagne grapes, with the family vineyard of 8 hectares, distilling and bottling in-house to ensure quality and preserve tradition. Their expertise has been passed down for five generations since 1870. Dedicated to sustainable farming, François Voyer was one of the first estates to earn the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) certification, awarded by the BNIC after a thorough audit.

Their family estate is shared between Grande Champagne’s 1st Cru of Cognac and Fins Bois Cru, and the estate has been entrusted to its current cellar master, Pierre Vaudon, and the winemaking embodied by Anne-Marie Vaudon, to continue its legacy for years to come.

Hardy Noces de Perle Cognac

24th December 202424th December 2024Coldorak

The penultimate cognac in our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar is a 30-year-old Hardy Noces de Perle Cognac. Cognac Hardy, established in 1863 by British-born Anthony Hardy, is a testament to passion and resilience in the cognac world. After relocating to France and embracing French culture – adopting the name Antoine and the rooster as his emblem – Hardy earned a stellar reputation for his dedication to Fine Champagne cognac, evidenced by awards such as the 1869 Diploma of Excellence at the Amsterdam Exhibition. Despite challenges like the devastating phylloxera outbreak in the late 19th century, Hardy preserved sufficient reserves to rebuild and expand globally. Over generations, leadership passed through family hands, with each era bringing innovation and market growth. Notable milestones include the invention of ‘Anniversary’ cognacs in 1960, marked by the creation of iconic decanters like Noces de Perle (30 years) and Noces d’Albâtre (75 years). Under Jacques Hardy’s leadership, the company extended its reach to new continents. He retired in 1999, and the company name changed from A. Hardy et Cie to Cognac Hardy.