Just occasionally I try some non-whisky alternatives

Lemorton Calvados

Produced by Didier Lemorton in 1926, 40% ABV

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Dark oak with a bronze tinge

Nose: Stewed green apple marinated in balsamic. Very aromatic, very refined, lovely.

Palate: Just oodles of apple-iness with a very smooth mouth-feel and gently not overpowering.

Finish: Long and sophisticated.

Overall Impression: Aromatic, refined and awfully civilised.

Grande Champagne Cognac

Chateau Pailloud Malaville

Distilled 1848, bottled 1933

Glass: Crystal brandy goblet (of course)

Colour: Rich, dark polished oak with an extra tinge of light treacle toffee

Nose: Fan-bloody-tastic, richly aromatic with an immediate fruitiness (bramble, forest fruits?), but it also has lots of herbal characteristics with even a suggestion of honey. There's also aged leather and rich red wine / LBV-style port-iness.

Palate: First impressions are of a dryness, very dry, but that's not at all bad. Then the herbal-ness and rich red wine.

Finish: Very long, extremely long and dry, all sitting comfortably right on the back of the palate.

Overall Impression: Amazing, stunning, "Great", what more can I say?

Hennessy VS Cognac

Believed to be from 1980's or 1990's

Glass: Crystal brandy goblet

Colour: Golden bronze

Nose: Extremely fragrant with a dry nuttiness, but at the same time mildly musty with a suggestion of butterscotch.

Palate: Lots of light floral elements in a kind of musty way. It's dry and fruity with a mix of orange and plum (or damson).

Finish: Long with an aftertaste of Terry's chocolate orange (ahh how I remember those) and then right at the end a suggestion of liquorice.

Overall Impression: Delightfully drinkable. Many thanks to a colleague who gave me this bottle.

Remy Martin VSOP

Fine Champagne Cognac

Initially believed to be from the 80's but now thought to be late 90's or early 2000's

Glass: Crystal brandy goblet

Nose: Initially hard to describe but offering a vague likeness to what I remember Remy to be like in the 80's & 90's with nuttiness, fruitiness and even a mild grassiness.

Palate: Simply everything from the nose repeated on the palate.

Finish: Medium to long.

Overall Impression: This one really confused me. I initially thought this to be an older 80's bottling which I remember with great fondness but was a little disappointed. For me Remy was always unique in nose & palate, this was much more ordinary. After the bottle had been open a few days it did seem to exhibit a little of that 'uniqueness' and it certainly improved with exposure to the air. I guess some of my confusion is now explained by the fact that this appears to be a later bottling than I originally thought as I know Remy has changed over the decades.

Armagnac

Dupeyron Napoleon

Vielle Fine

Glass: Crystal brandy goblet

Colour: Pale amber

Nose: Very aromatic, almost floral and very warming. There's also a slight herbal note which turns musty, almost like caqrdboard after a few minutes in the glass.

Palate: Slightly watery mouth-feel but the floral notes from the nose continue through the palate. It's also gently nutty and reminds me of brandy snap.

Finish: Medium.

Overall Impression: Gentle with a lovely floral character. Awfully civilised.

Crabbie's

Whisky Liqueur

An old bottling from the 1950's or 60's

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Light oak

Nose: Faintly medicinal, Germolene cream? Also aniseed.

Palate: Leafy and dry whilst retaining all the medicinal-ness from the nose.

Finish: Short.

Overall Impression: Aniseed flavoured Germolene? Does it kill all known germs too?

Graham's

2015 Late Bottled Vintage

Port

Glass: Crystal brandy goblet

Colour: Rich dark blackberry

Nose: Just like the colour it's dark or even heavy with a rich fruity winey character.

Palate: Massively rich and smooth mouth-feel with lots of fruitiness reminding me of blackberry or bramble.

Finish: Short.

Overall Impression: LBV is possibly my favourite style of port whilst remaining at a sensible price and this one is super value for money.