Collection: Vintage Calvados

The Story of a One-of-a-Kind Calvados Range

In the 1960s, Christian Drouin Sr. began producing his Calvados at the farm in Gonneville-sur-Honfleur, which he had just acquired. Fortunately for future generations, with the help of Pierre Pivet, a traveling distiller, he was able to find the time and passion to craft great Calvados, though he hardly ever had the chance to sell them! Moreover, unlike local traditions, he rarely blended his Calvados.

From these stocks, as well as those produced by subsequent generations, comes today the largest collection of vintage Calvados in the industry. Over the years, this range was further enriched by acquiring vintages found in local farms and aged according to our expertise.

Aging Techniques Tailored to Produce the Oldest Calvados

This range, considered an icon of our house and containing the rarest Calvados, has a unique style and distinctive taste for each year. The vintage indicates the year of distillation. During aging, the Calvados is regularly transferred between barrels, allowing its character to evolve over the years and according to the cask type.

Vintages are typically made from cider distilled after being stored for several months up to a year before distillation. This process produces Eau-de-Vie with higher acidity, offering greater complexity and strong aging potential. In the early years, the Calvados is kept in roux barrels (former Calvados casks) for slow maturation to protect the fruit as much as possible. After about fifteen years, and following careful tasting, we select the type of cask best suited to enhance it.

An Extraordinary Diversity of Calvados Styles

Among the 38 vintages in this series, we have worked over the years with casks that previously held cider, sherry, port, banyuls, sauternes, tokay, cognac, or rivesaltes. Except for some of the oldest vintages, these Calvados are bottled regularly according to orders and kept in barrels while awaiting bottling.

The most passionate Calvados enthusiasts come to this range to find the vintage that suits them, the one whose style perfectly matches their taste.