UBY OAK Armagnac

Armagnac, this Gascon puzzle. Here is a brandy considered the oldest in France, popular with amateurs but increasingly neglected by consumers who have abandoned the august digestive digestifs (cognac included) to make the eyes soft rum whiskey and others spirits of more exotic origin. But while the trend of "craft distilleries" and high-end mixology has never been so strong, some brands are doing well, like the Domaine Uby. This family vineyard, located in Cazaubon in the Gers, is mostly known by the general public for its white wines in Côtes-de-Gascogne, but it perpetuates "from father to son" a tradition of producing Armagnac - "the spirit of tradition, know-how and perfect knowledge of their terroir ". But tradition does not necessarily condemn to abstain from any questioning. To respond to new trends in the spirits market and attract new consumers, Domaine Uby has just released Uby Oak, an Armagnac claiming a "contemporary style" in the container as in the content. Let's talk about, first: yellow bottle, stocky, we are facing a packaging that bypasses the usual codes of Gascony brandy. Side containing: an amber eau-de-vie, from organic farming, 50% Baco blend - 50% Ugni white and "Triple Casks", namely raised successively in 3 different French oak barrels: 12 months in casks new pedunculate oak "to define its character"; 18 months in red oak barrels "to refine your personality"; 6 months of finishing in oak barrel Sessile "to develop its roundness and its unique flavors". This positioning obviously has nothing to chance: it is obviously on the segment of rum, bourbon (a little gin for packaging); it is a spirit to drink dry, "on the rocks" and of course cocktail. In the same way that a house like Bache Gabrielsen has jostled cognac recently with his "American Oak", Uby does the same with this subtle vanilla, floral, spicy (even gingerbread) Armagnac, with lots of onctuosity in the mouth, a caressing matter, a sensation of alcohol balanced by a seductive sweetness. Purists may find fault, but Uby Oak achieved its goal: to offer an organic interpretation, "local" - all the barrels come from the Bartholomo cooperage in the Landes - and greedy Armagnac. There is no doubt that he should find his audience.