Lelouvier Calvados Vieux NV

This is a blend of young Calvados from apples and pears, distilled with care in a copper column still, then aged at least three years in oak. Fresh raw orchard fruit on the nose, lively and accessible on the palate.

André Lelouvier started as a wine and spirits merchant in Briouze in 1933 and quickly turned to aging Calvados under his own name. His gift was élevage — cask selection and blending — and he reportedly never bought a lot without his wife Cécile, an exceptional taster, signing off first. The right introduction to the category: neat after dinner, over ice before it, or in place of whiskey in a sour.

Food Pairing: Tarte tatin, pear turnover, pork loin and plum sauce, pork chops and apple sauce, Salmon Teriyaki