Unicorns in the Making: Grab These Collectible Spirits While You Still Can
While single barrels were generally disqualified from this exercise, this bottler only releases single barrels from a variety of tiny Armagnac estates like Lous Pibous and Le Frêche (with the exception of its excellent XO Armagnac, a blend of barrels usually limited to around 2,000 bottles). If bourbon drinkers are seemingly willing to spend any amount of money on whiskey, the same is not quite true for brandy, even if it’s older, rarer, and assuredly more delicious. (Taste hardly matters for unicorn status — sad but true.) But the tide is slowly turning and two- and sometimes three-decades-aged releases from L’Encantada that used to sell for under $100 and used to linger on shelves for months, are now going for two to three times that and lasting mere weeks in some cases. It’s not hard to think these gorgeous orange-waxed bottles might soon become, cough, the Pappy of Armagnac. -- Vinepair
"It was so off-profile to what Armagnac people liked,” explains Schurman. “But anyone who liked a George T. Stagg or a Weller [bourbon] would love it. Sometimes, they wouldn’t even know it was an Armagnac."
L'Encantada -- The Armagnac That’s Sneaking Into ‘Bourbon Porn’ - Vinepair
Finished in Ex-Weller Bourbon Barrels!
L'Encantada "Armagnac" Aged in Weller Barrels...$149.99
Tattoo Series #2
Cannot be called Armagnac since it is finished in Bourbon Barrels.
Cask-strength brandy (24- to 36-years old) aged in Gascony oak and ex-Weller Bourbon barrels
The second Tattoo Series is a partnership with esteemed New York-based tattoo artist Laura Leonello, who has garnered a devoted following in her own right. She named her bottle design “Beacon of Hope,” a fitting theme for our time. L’Encantada Tattoo Series No. 2 is a blend of Armagnac from 10 different casks, including Del Cassou 1985, Lasalle 1986, and De Belair 1989, among others. The oldest spirit in the blend is from 1985 (36 years) and the youngest from 1997 (24 years). As with the first edition, each Armagnac in the blend finished maturation in ex-Weller Bourbon barrels; while this additional aging process introduced a new layer of complexity and distinction, the spirit lost its “Armagnac” appellation of origin. (To be legally labeled “Armagnac,” the spirit must be aged exclusively in French oak.) Apart from the modern finish, the spirit has been left completely unaltered: unfiltered, no additives, and cask strength.
"It was so off-profile to what Armagnac people liked,” explains Schurman. “But anyone who liked a George T. Stagg or a Weller [bourbon] would love it. Sometimes, they wouldn’t even know it was an Armagnac."
L'Encantada -- The Armagnac That’s Sneaking Into ‘Bourbon Porn’ - Vinepair
Finished in Ex-Weller Bourbon Barrels!
L'Encantada "Armagnac" Aged in Weller Barrels...$149.99
Tattoo Series #2
Cannot be called Armagnac since it is finished in Bourbon Barrels.
Cask-strength brandy (24- to 36-years old) aged in Gascony oak and ex-Weller Bourbon barrels
The second Tattoo Series is a partnership with esteemed New York-based tattoo artist Laura Leonello, who has garnered a devoted following in her own right. She named her bottle design “Beacon of Hope,” a fitting theme for our time. L’Encantada Tattoo Series No. 2 is a blend of Armagnac from 10 different casks, including Del Cassou 1985, Lasalle 1986, and De Belair 1989, among others. The oldest spirit in the blend is from 1985 (36 years) and the youngest from 1997 (24 years). As with the first edition, each Armagnac in the blend finished maturation in ex-Weller Bourbon barrels; while this additional aging process introduced a new layer of complexity and distinction, the spirit lost its “Armagnac” appellation of origin. (To be legally labeled “Armagnac,” the spirit must be aged exclusively in French oak.) Apart from the modern finish, the spirit has been left completely unaltered: unfiltered, no additives, and cask strength.
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