For two reasons, visiting the Carlos I booth was one of my personal highlights of this year’s Hanse Spirit. First, I got to meet my pal Michael Lutz there, who worked the stand busy, competent, and good-humored as ever. And second, I discovered an expression there that I never had before: the new Carlos I Legacy Collection, which marks the current pinnacle of the renowned Brandy de Jerez maker’s exquisite range. At the show, a glass of this limited edition bottling set me back no less than 15 Euro – a remarkable sum, no doubt, but also one that I was more than happy to pay. Afterwards, I even got a little interest on the invest: Cause when he swung by at my place a few days later, Michael remembered just how much I enjoyed the Legacy Collection when he first poured it to me. So he gave me a tasting bottle, which had one generous dram left in it. Based on my unexpected second rendevouz with it, I have now written in-depth tasting notes for Carlos I Brandy’s finest-sherry-matured Legacy Collection. So if you are up for a detailed description of the exquisite smells and tastes I discovered in this dark-as-night drop, read on below. And if you don’t have time for that, let me at least tell you that Carlos I Legacy Collection is utterly amazing and laden to the brim with darkness’s most beautiful and alluring flavors: grape, berry, plum, coffee, chocolate, wood, brimstone, and all else that the (blackened) heart desires!
by Tobi
Eye: The color of chocolate sauce with an invigorating dash of red in it.
Nose: Beguiling, opulent, and scintillating. The many years that the spirit spent in the cask have given the bouquet a rich and elevated levelness. Tthe offered scents provide red fruit jam, creamy milk chocolate, mildly sugared coffee, sweet licorice, sourish blackcurrants, wild strawberries, and old study wood – with a juicy mango sweetness brightening up the mix in a most brilliant way.
Palate: Hello sweetness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again … when Carlos I’s dark-as-it-gets Legacy Collection hits the tongue, it feels light and delicate at first. Dark choc-covered pineapple chunks mark the first flavor I register. But that’s not all, of course. As this ain’t a drop to swallow down immediately, I let it bellow over my tongue a bit longer. Second by second, it gains weight and gets darker. Brambles, raisins, oak, and licorice pastilles unfold one after another. Coarse bread and sage leaves follow. And ultimately, extinct candle wicks make themselves known to my taste buds, too.
Finish: The dark, deep, and oh-so-good finish lasts. As it builds up over time, blackness reigns supreme in the mouth and throat. Plum jelly, licorice drop, coffee ground, grape husk, wood char, and Black Forest cake provide a final impression that will definitely not be forgotten anytime soon.
-
- The dram
-
- The bottle
-
- In the glass
-
- Promo shot (taken from CarlosBrandy.com)
Type: Brandy de Jerez
Region: Spain (Jerez)
Age: NAS
Alc. volume: 42.1 per cent
Casks: Sherry
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
# of bottles: 2,600
Price range: ~350.00 Euro
More info: https://carlosbrandy.com/ (Brand)
*** I got a started bottle with one dram left from Osborne. ***
BarleyMania | Whisky & Whiskey 
I do like a drop of brandy now & then. Especially the Spanish brandies.
They exhibit a richness of flavours that are worth exploring.
All I’ve managed in the Carlos I range so far was a Solera bottling – but even that impressed!
LikeLike