French Spirits

Winemaker Description

Byrrh Grand Quinquina is made to the original late-19th century recipe that earned worldwide fame and inspired fifty years of evocative poster art. Byrrh combines a generous, port-like wine and mistelle base with a firm backbone of natural quinine to produce a fruity, refreshing aperitif.

By itself, with tonic and a twist, or paired with blue cheese. In cocktails, Byrrh mixes well with vodka, gin, tequila, Irish whiskey, and grapefruit. Byrrh is produced in Thuir, in the heart of French Catalan territory, near the coast and border with Spain. 

Expert Review

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | Concentrated dark fruit leads the nose and palate on this garnet-hued aperitif wine infused with quinine. Complex, rich stewed fruit notes suggest cherry pie and Port brushed with vanilla, finishing long with drying hints of plum skin, sage and dried oregano plus a hint of espresso-like bitterness.  Best Buy

Producer Description 

CIROC Ultra-Premium Vodka is a rich tasting vodka distilled five times from fine French grapes and finished in a tailor-made copper pot still in Southern France. Smooth and lightly sweet, our ultra-premium vodka provides a taste experience that is lusciously different and elegantly smooth. Simply mix with lemonade and pour over ice for a refreshing tasting Diddy cocktail. Includes one 80 proof 1 L bottle of CIROC Ultra-Premium Vodka.

Born from generations of winemakers and distillers dating back to the 15th century, Jean-Sebastien Robicquet, the Master Distiller of CIROC, carries the art of distilling in his veins and is based in France in the renowned wine region of Bordeaux. Our spirits are made from fine French grapes, specially selected to embody a distinctive flavor with an exceptionally fresh taste.

 Each blend combines the masterful art of traditional and modern distillation to bring you the finest, smoothest spirits with the most refreshing taste. Please drink responsibly.

Winemaker Description 

Dolin Blanc is a fresh, elegant, clear vermouth with an edge of vanilla and balanced sweetness. Pour in a pitcher over chopped fruit or serve it as they do in France - a sliced strawberry, splash of soda and a lemon twist. 

Try it in a cocktail with any clear spirit. It is a phenomenal accompaniment to fresh cow's milk cheese or creamy bloomy-rind cheese.

Producer Description 

Laurent makes four eaux-de-vie: – two from rare, almost extinct grape varieties: Prunelard and Mauzac Rose – a Pear Williams – a Greengage Each eau-de-vie is made from organic fruits, harvested ripe then dried on mats to concentrate sugars/flavors. The dried fruits are then pealed one by one, cut in half, the pit/seeds/stalk are removed as to keep only the flesh of the ripe fruit. Only then are they crushed into a juice and fermented. On average the wine obtained is about 11% alc./ vol. 

This wine is distilled in a pot still to 66% alc./vol. Laurent bottles each eau-de-vie at 45% alc./vol after reducing the proof slowly by adjunction of demineralized water.

An indigenous grape to the Tarn region of Southwest France, the Laurent Cazottes Goutte de Mauzac Rose Eau-de-vie is one of Laurent Cazottes’ true passions. This is not a fine nor a marc, but the wine and the pomace are left together during the distillation.

Hence, this is an Eau de Vie de Raisin. Laurent Cazottes is committed to reviving these heritage varietals and the resulting spirits are pure expressions of the fruit from which they are made. Biodynamic and organic viticulture are practiced. 

Producer Description

Rémy Martin Tercet is a unique Cognac Fine Champagne blended from aromatic eaux-de-vie with notes of fresh and tropical fruits. Reflecting the House style, Tercet lights up a new path for cognac.

Three talents came together to create Rémy Martin Tercet: our Cellar Master, Master Distiller and Wine Master. Three men of their time, each carrying the heritage of generations of Masters before them, combined their unique expertise to reveal the best of what nature offers.

A singular Cognac Fine Champagne, bold, fresh and fruit forward with a surprisingly long finish.

Rémy Martin Tercet can be enjoyed neat to reveal its boldness, with one large ice cube to enhance its freshness, or paired with fresh pineapple or in a pineapple dessert to reveal its roundness.

Producer Description 

Producer Description 

The nose is uniquely intense and develops fine aromas of orange peel, roasted and grilled bread, completed by notes of cinnamon. Savory roundness and seductive complexity in mouth.

Will perfectly pair with chocolate cakes and with a flambé pie prepared with the same XO. To be tasted as a digestive with friends or family. 

Producer Description 

Two years of an aging in oaks casks give a gold color to the fruity taste of its youth. Vigorous and fresh on the palate, it’s a product carrying the “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée Pays d’Auge”. All the fragrances of Normandy. 

Expert Review

Forbes Magazine: This is an exceptionally smooth Cognac. Matured for four years. On the nose, it offers up rich floral aromas of violet, jasmine, roses, white flowers and peonies, along with intense fruity notes of sweet caramel apples, honey and both fresh and dried fruit, especially prune, peach and apricot, along with Sauterne like notes of golden raisin and fig, as well as some passion fruit and a touch of vanilla. There is also an earthy, black tea like quality in the background, and a hint of waxiness.

Recently, Camus, the largest of the family owned Cognac producers, released a new addition to its core range of Cognacs—labeled Intensely Aromatic. The Cognacs were the culmination of a two-decade long effort to craft Cognacs that are notably more aromatic and flavorful than the norm.

Camus’ Cognacs have always had a reputation for being particularly aromatic. To further enhance that character Camus developed a proprietary distillation protocol, which it calls “Intensity,” that measurably increases the concentration of terpenes and esters in their Cognac, producing what the company describes as an “instant of intensity.”

Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by a variety of plants. They are closely associated with floral aromas. Esters are chemicals produced by the interaction of alcohols and fatty acids, and are closely associated with fruity aromas.

In crafting Intensely Aromatic, the firm utilized older casks made from lightly toasted, fine grained oak. The age and toasting of the casks minimized the aroma and flavor components that were contributed by the cask wood and further enhanced the prominence of fruit and floral aromas.

Producer Description 

Intense, powerful and well-balanced. Some salty notes with hints of dried fruits and exotic spices.

The Landier family traces their winegrowing roots in the region back to 1890, when Rémi's grandfather Julien Girard settled in the town of Cors and planted his first vines. Throughout the 1900s, the family continued to grow their vineyards and began work on the distillery; in 1973 the Rémi Landier brand was launched by his son, Jean-Yves.

Today, the Cognac house is still family-owned and managed by its fifth generation, Géraldine Landier.

PM Spirits founder Nicolas Palazzi, aka Captain Cognac, met Géraldine some years ago while she was working for European spirit purveyors extraordinaire La Maison du Whisky. While traveling in France, Nicolas was introduced to Géraldine by good friend and master cooper Jean-Noel Pelletan.

Sensing a forward-thinking open-mindedness, Nicolas stayed in touch with Géraldine who eventually moved from Paris back to Cognac to help run the family business. When we first began brainstorming producers with whom to work with on COLLAB releases, Rémi Landier was a no-brainer.

These releases represent the start of something new and pay homage to a Cognac house which has, since its inception, shared the same values and ethos that PM Spirits was built on.

This VSOP Cognac was aged for over five years in a combination of used French oak and toasted, new French Oak barrels. It is a single terroir Fins Bois Cognac with no additives, bottled exclusively for PM Spirits and the US market. Producer Description. 

Producer Description 

Matured in French oak casks for at least 20 years, Remi Landier XO Artisanal Cognac is a blend of Fins Bois eaux-de-vie that has aromas of violet, honeysuckle and dried apricots on the nose. The palate offers notes of orange, cinnamon, oak, gingerbread and summer flowers. 

Producer Description 

In the Creme de Cassis de Dijon tradition, the Creme de fruits range is dedicated to lovers of variety and different flavours. They are all produced using the same methods as the original creme, a guarantee of quality and the commitment of Maison Boudier.

This raspberry liqueur adds subtle embellishments to your aperitifs, wines and Champagnes, and a more colorful taste. 

Expert Review 

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points | First inhalations pick up nothing but sweet, beguiling ripe peach perfume; aeration expands the aroma by adding tarter scents of peach skin and pit. Palate entry is lean, tart and acidic yet ripe; the midpalate finds the acid underpinning gracefully balancing the sweet, peachy ripeness. Aftertaste is long, light-bodied and appropriately juicy.                

Producer Description 

Elaborated from the finest terroirs in Cognac which are Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Fins Bois whose harvests took place during the decade of 1990. 

Lot n°90 owes its unique character to long aging in oak barrels, which gives it richness and complexity, the main grape variety being Ugni Blanc. 

To the eye, Ce Cognac already offers a beautiful, seductive golden color. 

The attack on the nose, very fresh, reveals notes of pear and quince, which evolve towards herbaceous elements, aromas of fruit Secs, nuts and almonds. 

As for the palate, it is firm, of good length, powerful, reflecting the aromas presented by the nose: a quality Cognac, typical and young.

Expert Review

90-95 points Wine Enthusiast | The first aromatic blast is seductively anise-like, then it mellows, turning softer, more herbal, and plumper. At palate entry the intensely bitter taste of anise both enlivens and cleanses the palate; at midpalate the pleasant sting of alcohol and the zest of rooty/woodsy botanicals make for memorable imbibing. Finishes elegant and smooth.

Producer Description 

Paul Ricard developed Ricard in 1932 in Marseille, France. Ricards's secret recipe, unaltered since its creation, is composed of select herbs and spices found in the Mediterranean and the Orient, including Chinese star anise, Syrian licorice, and aromatic herbs from Provence. 

The licorice underscores and rounds out the flavor of the star anise, giving Ricard its distinctive yellow color. On the palate, the clear, penetrating purity of aniseed reveals a refreshing sensation, followed by aromatic finishing notes of fruit, flowers and spices. Producer Description.

Producer Description 

Much more than an aniseed beverage, Henri Bardouin Pastis is a masterpiece of balance where each ingredient occupies its rightful place. It deploys a symphony of flavours and aromas that meet, merge, and reveal themselves for a unique sensory dialogue between people, a terroir, and the history of Haute Provence.

It is a symphony, whose score is a secret jealously guarded by Distilleries et Domaines de Provence. 

The Mirabelle plums are pitted and crushed. Fermentation begins at temperature control between 22º and 25º followed by distillation in copper alambics at a minimum temperature of 60º. The aroma and the taste of the original fruit is extracted and conserved during the distillation process using steam heated stills. Distillation is a single continuous process with the elimination of the initial “head” and final “tail” distillate in order to keep only the best of the distillation called the “heart.” The Mirabelle Brandy then undergoes aging in stainless steel for a minimum of 16 months.

Extremly pure and clear. Elements of cinnamon and subtle plum flavors. The most spiced of all the Eaux de Vie. Fiery, with smoking cinnamon buttered bread notes and a lush, full mouthfeel. Producer Description.

Producer Description 

Water, alcohol, sugar, raspberries and burnt sugar are blended together in refrigerated vats. When the alcohol content reaches a desirable level, the mixture is then filtered and bottled. Color Deep ruby, viscous Bouquet Intense raspberry fruit, nearly a sweet syrup, with oriental spice tones Taste Lush and intensely sweet but just tart enough from the raspberry. 

Expert Review

94 Points Wine Enthusiast | Rich, comforting caramel and vanilla aromas show that there's plenty of oak influence in this Cognac. The palate entices with caramel, cocoa and espresso, leading into a long, fudgy finish with hints of baking spice, orange peel, almond and coconut. Grande Champagne region.

Producer Description 

Long ago, in the 19th century, Cognac producers such as Elie Ferrand (8th generation) used a variety of casks to create a fascinating range of taste and complexity. Reviving this forgotten tradition, Ferrand Réserve is first aged in classic Cognac barrels and further matured in Banyuls barrels. This ancient technique creates a one-of-a-kind cognac that highlights the myriad nuances of the legendary “Rancio Charentais” with aromas of nuts, prune, and spice. Complex and meditative, it is the perfect sipping Cognac. Producer Description.