Louis Roque - Eaux De Vie La Vieille Prune (The Old Plum)

This is a plum brandy from Southwestern France: plums are crushed, their juice fermented then distilled and aged in oak. It has become somewhat of a cult item and combines the pit fruit aspect of cherry eau de vie with the oaky aspect of brandy.

The spirit shows incredible finesse with a supple texture and great purity of fruit accented with shades of exotic spices and the Gascon forest.

With the depth of cognac and the finesse of plum brandy, this Vieille Prune has an unparalleled richness. Bursting with Asian spice and ripe fruit, you'll want to keep this one in stock once you've tried it.

COUNTRY France (Souillac)

AGEING 4 Years in Limousine Oak

ALCOHOL CONTENT 42%

About the Producer

The southern French region of Gascony evokes an agrarian idyll. Here the food is cooked in duck fat and big industry is farming and fishing. This little gem hails from the Armagnac region, that special corner of the southwest of France and arguably the most important place on the planet for brandy production. Up to the late 19th century, the members of the Roque family had carried on the tradition of distilling from father to son. Louis Roque, the third of his generation, decided in 1905 to become independent by settling in Souillac, in the site of an ancient convent.

Louis became the local specialist of plum brandy. He started to distil for his own business from plums supplied by local farmers. He rested his production in oaks cask where the spirit aged slowly, under close supervision. In his multiple chais, located in different parts of town, the Roque family dedicated time to maturing and meticulous blending, while their home, right in the heart of Souillac, doubled as a shop. Louis soon became widely acknowledged as the highest standard this sublime and undersung spirit category.