Guide to Calvados

Calvados is France’s third great brandy but unlike Armagnac and Cognac, it is made from apples, not grapes. The Calvados region is in Normandy, northern France. It starts with cider made from traditional French apples. Some pears are also used in the production. Producers either use the Cognac method of double distillation or a short column still as in Armagnac. Around six million bottles are made yearly, most of which are consumed in France.

There are three AOCs (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) for Calvados. The most basic is AOC Calvados which can come from anywhere in the region and can be distilled either in a pot or column still and must be aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks. Then there is AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge which comes from a specific area in the centre of Normandy. Producers must use pot stills to double distil their spirits which must be aged for a minimum of two years. Finally, there is AOC Calvados Domfrontais which must include at least 30% Perry pears in the mix and a column still must be used with a minimum of three years ageing in oak. 

Most Calvados are sold under age designations: Calvados Fine, Trois Étoiles, or VS, minimum of two years ageing; Vieux or Réserve, three years ageing; VSOP is four years; XO, Trés Vieux, or Hors d'âge 

The Calvados rules allow producers more room to experiment with cask finishing than in Armagnac and Cognac. Consequently, in recent years Calvados producers such as Christian Drouin have experimented with a variety of cask finishes including Tequila, Swedish single malt whisky and Jamaican rum.