At the sale to Gallo, Germain-Robin’s cellar had hundreds of Limousin oak barrels of aging brandies, up to 34 years old, which were likely the most varied and complex on the planet. No other brandy or whiskey cellar remotely approached the extensive flavors and aromatics in the brandies distilled from two dozen varietals of premium wine grapes: sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, semillon, chenin blanc, French colombard. These brandies were largely held separate and unblended, each barrel holding a single varietal brandy from a single vintage.
Validation? R W Apple of the New York Times, after tasting the Anno Domini 2000, called it “superior to Hennessy Paradis and equal to the finest aged cognacs”, and Robb Report Magazine name it the world’s “Best Spirit”.
While some of these brandies were used in the XO, most of those 15 years or older were released either as “Single-Barrel Brandies” or, just before the sale, as “Small Blends”. A few of Germain-Robin’s last releases are listed below. You cannot buy equivalent spirits at anything approaching these prices.