Cask maturation in the old warehouse of the calvados distillery Château du Breuil, Le Breuil-en-Auge, Normandy, France
Some background information:
Château du Breuil is a former stately home near the village of Le Breuil-en-Auge in the Norman department of Calvados. It is located about 30 km (19 miles) south of the port city of Le Havre in the Auge valley, which can be called the heartland of Norman calvados production.
Château du Breuil was built in the 16th and enlarged in the 17th century. Until 1734, it was in possession of different great noble families like the families Bouquetot, Montgomery, de Rohan and Bence.
In the 18th century, a flax mill was built on the estate. And at the beginning of the 20th century, the estate was converted into a cheese dairy, but not for long, as the cheese diary was substituted with a chocolaterie soon, which existed until 1946. From then on, until 1954, a cider making company was implemented.
In 1954, Philippe Bizouard bought the estate and founded the company Château du Breuil to distill calvados there. In 1987, Château du Breuil was absorbed by the Swiss Diwisa Distillery Company, which continued to produce premium calvados. According to the figures from 2012, the distillery produces an output of 370,000 bottles per year, which are distributed in 52 countries. Today, Château du Breuil is not only a calvados distillery, but also a monument historique.
The distillery is open to the public and can be visited within a guided tour. At the end of the tour a tasting in the distillery shop is offered, where 15 different kinds of calvados and pommeau – a mixture of apple juice and calvados – can be tasted. The tasting is already included in the price for the tour.
Calvados is an apple brandy from the Normandy region in France. It is mainly produced in the Norman department of Calvados. By the way, the area derives its name from the brandy, not the other way round.
The first known Norman distillation was carried out by Lord de Gouberville in 1553. More than 50 years later, in 1606, the guild for cider distillation was created. At that time, calvados was still labeled "cider".
In the 19th century, output increased with industrial distillation and the working class fashion for "café-calva". When a phylloxera outbreak in the last quarter of the 19th century devastated the vineyards of France and Europe, calvados experienced its golden age.
During World War I, cider brandy was requisitioned for use in armaments due to its alcohol content. In 1942, the appellation contrôlée regulations officially gave calvados a protected name. After World War II, many cider houses and distilleries were reconstructed, mainly in the Auge valley. In 1984 and 1996, the calvados appellation system was revised and in 1991, Pommeau got its recognition.
Calvados is distilled from cider made from specially grown and selected apples, from over 200 named varieties. It is not uncommon for a calvados producer to use over 100 specific varieties of apples, which are either sweet , tart or bitter. The fruit is harvested and pressed into a juice that is fermented into a dry cider. It is then distilled into eau de vie. After two years of aging in oak casks, it can be sold as calvados. The longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes. Usually, the maturation takes several years.
Calvados can be produced either by single or double distillation: The single continuous distillation takes place in a column still, while the double distillation is carried out in a traditional alembic pot still. The usual arguments for and against the two processes are that the latter process gives the spirit complexity and renders it suitable for longer aging, whilst the former process gives the calvados a fresh and clean apple flavour with less complexity. Howsoever, there is no accounting for taste.