Cutxan is a very small family-owned domaine that recently sold their entire stock to L’Encantada. Today we shall have a look at a pair from the 2006 vintage.

L’Encantada Cutxan “Armagnac.de” 2006 15YO (51,2%): This has been bottled in 2022 and if I understand correctly, only a part of the barrel has been bottled. Nose: Oha. Already with the first nose you can tell that this is going to be good. I can smell wet grass, green banana, whipped cream, cinnamon perhaps, then scents of a hot summer rain on previously dry stones as well as some oak and vanilla. Very cool. Palate: Very thick and creamy, almost buttery. It starts with the banana again but moves on over to marshmallows, pecan nuts, definitely what they call rancio, oak and papaya. This is indeed rather Rum-y, if we want to go there. I really enjoy the subtle astringency here. Finish: Medium long, dry, woody and still astringent. Aroma wise, it is mostly shaped by spices now. A nice Armagnac that’s simply tasty. There’s nothing spectacular about it, but do we always need that? (84/100)

Grape of the Art Cutxan 2006 15YO (50,5%): Same vintage, different barrel. Nose: Very similar to the L’Encantada, which was to be expected. Relatively speaking, it is a bit more subtle, stronger on the notes from the grapes (think along the lines of different sorts of berries) and with a little less cask influence. In direct comparison, I like the Armagnac.de selection a bit more, but those are nuances. Palate: The differences are bigger at the palate. Once again, this one is a bit more fragile (again, relatively speaking, it is still a rather big and bold Armagnac), comes with more cocoa, but there’s this certain note that reminds me of sandal wood or sand paper that kinda sets it apart – just not in a good way. Crucially, it is a lot boozier and sharper than the L’Encantada which definitely makes it the inferior cask if you ask me. Finish: It continues along the lines of the palate and unfortunately still contains this odd note. The nose was still very good, the palate not so much to our liking. (80/100)

Support Single Cask Rum by becoming a Patron

We are a private, independent blog and always will be. Alas, there is absolutely no revenue stream for us. If you are a frequent reader and want to support us you can now subscribe to one of our memberships on Patreon. That will give you access to (expanding) bonus content, live streams or even Rum-goodies. Or maybe just think about it as buying us a wee dram…