Audry XO Cognac
D&M NOTES:
TASTING: The nose opens with orange zest, toasted nuts, barrel spice, toasted marshmallows, glove leather and a suggestion of rancio. The palate has a great texture to it with flavors of candied orange peel, toasted marshmallow, cocoa, and a light rancio note to finish. (40% ABV)
PRODUCTION: The eau-de-vie spent a very brief time in new barrels before being transferred to an old barrel to continue aging in a humid cellar, which promotes roundness and accentuates the rancio notes. This blend is a mixture of eaux-de-vie with and without lees, aged at least 18 years and only from the terroirs of Petite and Grande Champagne. It contains no additives, sugar, or caramel. Only a slight filtration is carried out to preserve its aromatic qualities as much as possible.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER: The Cognac house Maison Audry was founded in 1878 by Auguste Edmond Audry with the stated goal of producing the highest quality Cognac, starting at the still. In that he was successful and the house was able to thrive and grow. In 1905, the Audry name was joined by the Boisson family when Auguste's daughter Odette married Aristide Boisson and, as the second generation, expanded the reputation and reach of the house. Their son Henri carried on through the turbulent times of the World Wars and continued to distill and build up the stocks of the house. When he passed away suddenly in 1955, there was an excellent supply of old distillate, but the house went silent until, some 30 years later, Henri’s son Bernard Boisson reopened the doors, leveraging the collection of old eaux-de-vie from his forebears to rebuild the business. With a focus on Michelin level restaurants in France and abroad, Bernard elevated and firmly established Maison Audry's reputation for excellence. Some two decades after the re-launch in 2005, Time magazine called it “the best Cognac you have never heard of”.
Since 2022, Bernard and Michelle’s children Anne Lesca and Renaud Boisson have taken the mantle as the fifth generation of the family, and they are committed to maintaining the house's impeccable standards while expanding its reach. Still, Audry remains somewhat of the ultimate insider's brand, since, while its Cognacs are among the world's finest, its reputation is spread largely by word-of-mouth.