Maker: Busnel, Cormeilles, Eure, Normany, France
Region: AOC Pays d’Auge, Calvados.
Age: VSOP (at least 4 y/o)
ABV: 40%
Michigan state minimum: $50
Appearance: Medium copper.
Nose: Caramel, parsley, leather, English lavender.
Palate: Mild. Sage, French oak, pecans, toffee.
Finish: Caramel apple, eucalyptus.
Parting words: Pays d’Auge is the most prestigious apellation in Calvados. Its brandies are required to be distilled twice in pot stills (unlike the column stills used elsewhere), and the fruit (mostly apples) that goes into it must all come from the region of the same name in east-central Calvados (duh). Pears are allowed into the mix, but unlike the neighboring AOC Domfrontais, there is no minimum percetage that must be used. My understanding is that very few pears are used in Pays d’Auge anymore.
At any rate, Busnel is one of the leasing producers of Calvados, or at least one of the most commonly seen brands in the US. They’ve been distilling since the early 19th century, although brandy has been made in Calvados since at least the 17th, and probably earlier than that. They produce a full line of all the age categories, although VSOP is the only expression available in Michigan.
From my tasting notes, it may seem like this brandy is a bit cattywampus, but it really is integrated into a seemless whole. Busnel VSOP is the perfect example of a spirit that is elegant without being dull. It’s worth all $50 I paid for it, and maybe even a little more. Busnel VSOP is highly recommended.
Sipology 