Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva Brandy de Jerez

A remarkable pour, right from the moment it enters a glass. The mahogany color is so deep and rich. The beauty continues; the nose is tremendous and complex. Butterscotch, toffee, plums, raisins, dried figs, dates, dark chocolate, coffee, a touch of vanilla. The palate is equally deep and rich, with loads of dried fruit, toffee, coffee, chocolate, and banana flavors. And what a mouthfeel - dense, rich, and coating. The Pedro Ximenez influence is evident and undoubtedly imparts plenty of the sweet-dark richness, but the smoothness here - not a hint of burn, and at 40% I'd expect that, but damn...this is some quality distillate that's been well aged in good casks. At a little under $60 for the bottle, this is very nicely priced. I usually don't find terms like decadent and hedonistic helpful in describing spirits, but if there were ever a time to use them, it's now. This is really something, a real feast for the senses. Give me this, a candlelit corner in a tasca in Sevilla, a little guitar music, and time with my wife without the child... I can hardly wait.

The aroma is almost rum-like: toffee, brown sugar, some banana, deep dried fermented grapes and figs with some nuttiness, reminiscent of a fig newton. The texture is thick and smooth, with tastes of cocoa-dusted fig newtons battling with rich raisiny sherries. The sensation of the alcohol itself hits late, slowly coating the throat like a rich old-timey cough syrup. Finishes with a touch of mint. Very good! Significantly outperforms its 40% ABV. I want to drink this when I'm sick. I think it'd work better than cough syrup.

The pour reveals a very deep copper color. The nose is potent with sweet fig and raisin aromas. The taste mirrors the nose but is less sweet, yet sufficiently sweet. It has a thick mouthfeel and a lengthy finish. A slight alcohol prickle is present but doesn't impact the palate. This was my initial experience with Spanish brandy, and it was quite good. As much as I enjoy Cognac, I generally prefer the bolder flavor profile of this brandy in liquors overall (compared to lighter tastes). I intend to explore other Spanish brandies in hopes of finding a similar character.

Crafted from 100% holandas (distilled in alquitaras, or pot stills, up to 70% alcohol), Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva is aged for an average of 15 years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. The nose offers a good balance of sherry, raisin, and prune aromas. The palate is rich, echoing those same sherry, raisin, and prune flavors. It leaves a lasting mouth-feel and finish. Excellent stuff!! My rating was 90.5. Cheers!!

A rich nose with notes of butterscotch, grape, caramel, apple, and wood. The palate is sweet, with flavors of leather, grape jam, grape koolaid, and a hint of spice. Definitely a dessert brandy, it's quite sweet and lacks significant complexity. A sweet, sugary finish.

This brandy presents a deep color. Its aroma leans more towards fruit than oak. Regarding the taste, the main impression is that Cardenal Mendoza delivers a full-bodied and delicious experience. I detect sherry and a sweet fruitiness. It also evokes the taste of prunes.