Spirit · Spirit-forward

Calvados

Normandy's apple brandy — an orchard, distilled and grown wise in oak.

How to order it: Pays d'Auge for the good stuff. Baked apple, butterscotch, autumn in a snifter.

Flavor profile

Sweetness5
Bitterness1
Strength9
Freshness4
Richness7
Sparkle0
Daring7

The proper serve

  • 1½ oz in a small snifter
  • Slightly below room temperature
  • Nose the orchard first
  • Classic with cheese or dessert
  • Or a 'trou Normand' mid-meal
Take the Quiz

Adjacent pours

Añejo Tequila

Spirit

Agave aged into amber — proof tequila was always meant for sipping.

Japanese Whisky

Spirit

Precision-distilled serenity — Scotch tradition through a Kyoto lens.

Speyside Single Malt

Spirit

Honeyed, orchard-fruited, endlessly polite — the diplomat of Scotch.