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Crowd-Sourced Cognac: Frérot XO was Created by Flaviar Members

By Sam Slaughter Dec 17, 2019 5:25 PM

Ferrot XO Cognac Flaviar — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Flaviar, the membership only spirits club (more on that here), has recently taken the next step in involving it’s members in the company. Spring marks the first time they’ve enlisted members in creating a new spirit: a cognac that they’ve dubbed Frérot, the People’s Cognac.

(If you need a refresher on cognac, check out this piece.)

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The creation of the new spirit aligns with the company’s “Flavor to the People” mission, according to Flaviar co-founder Griša Šoba. With that in mind, he added, “We could hardly think of a better challenge to take on as we set out creating our next very own spirit.”

Ferrot XO Cognac Flaviar bottle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In total, 800 people were tapped to “crowdtaste” the samples that would ultimately become Frérot XO. Before this, though, the Flaviar team traveled to France and, through meeting with various producers and tasting a wide array of cognacs, decided on three different XO Cognac blends. These blends were then sent out to Flaviar members for taste-testing.

With a whiskey-heavy fan base, Flaviar hoped to show drinkers a new spirit while also ultimately utilizing those whiskey-centric palates to create a whiskey drinker’s cognac.

Ferrot XO Cognac Flaviar closeup — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In total, 2,000 bottles of the assemblage de crus (meaning all six cognac regions are represented) XO Cognac were created. The spirit is non-chill filtered and comes in at 42 percent ABV. The blend consists of cognacs aged in French oak barrels no less than twenty and no more than 35 years. In a move toward cognac transparency, Flaviar says that while a little sugar is added, no boisé (a liquid made from boiling oak to speed up aging) and no caramel color were included

The Flaviar team describes the juice as “reminiscent of an old bourbon” with candied fruit, raspberry, and spice notes leading into a slightly smoky finish.

While Flaviar are not the first to do this — we recently covered the Buffalo Trace “Craft Your Perfect Bourbon Project” that produced a W.L Weller bourbon made by using data pulled from their website they certainly won’t be the last, and if this goes well, it wouldn’t be surprising if Flaviar follows on their success with another spirit created in the same way.

Frérot XO is available to both Flaviar members and non-members for $130.

Tom Brady-backed Hero launches low-carb pasta for National Pasta Month

Hero

October is National Pasta Month — and if you ask me, it’s not getting nearly enough hype. There’s never a bad time for pasta, but the high carbohydrate content can keep people running the other way. Luckily, Hero has us covered, bringing back pasta night with three new low-carb pasta shapes. Backed by celeb athletes like Tom Brady and Kevin Durant, the Hero Pasta collection now includes Elbow Macaroni, Penne and Mini Spirals. All three deliver the taste, texture, and bite of traditional pasta with a fraction of the carbs.

Every box of Hero Noodles has the same nutrition profile: 5g net carbs, 0g sugar, 32g fiber, 12g plant-based protein, and 80 calories per serving. With over 40,000 5-star reviews, Hero has shown that pasta lovers no longer have to settle for pea-based noodles, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower stand-ins. For someone like me who has followed a generally low-carb diet for years, innovations like Hero’s low-carb noodles are a true game changer (and make it possible to enjoy National Pasta Month just like everyone else).

Europe is slowly embracing wine in pouches instead of bottles. Is America next?

Medley Wine Co.

Boxed wine gets a bad rap because, well, it’s wine in a box. You’ve heard all the negative connotations by now: They’re cheap, unsophisticated, and downright boring. You walk into any party with boxed wine, and you’ll not only raise eyebrows, but also be persona non grata at the next shindig. I’ve personally never sipped wine from a box, though that has a lot to do with the fact that my introduction to wine happened when a date of mine from more than 20 years ago ordered a bottle of Château Ste. Michelle Riesling at a restaurant I frequented. The Riesling was sweet, crisp, and truly delicious for someone who runs on beer, tequila, rum, and whiskey. That bottle of Riesling, however, sparked curiosity: Buying a dozen red and white bottles of wine from my local shop in Pasadena, California. The bottles sat mostly on my wine rack collecting dust. I’d open one every few months when guests preferred something buttery or fruity over carbonated or oaky booze.

It wasn’t until my trip across Tuscany in April 2018 that I really learned to appreciate wine. After touring the tiny village, one wine came out on top, and it’s one I order every chance I get when dining out: Chianti Classico. But always make sure the bottle carries the black rooster symbol. The older I get, the more I appreciate a glass of wine. Heck, last summer while visiting Cuban Creations Cigar Bar in New Orleans, the lovely waitress recommended a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon for the Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva cigar I was about to light. It was a great recommendation.

Bowmore is bringing a new 20-year-old Islay single malt to the US

Whisky, Scotch, Bottle

Twenty years is a long time to wait for anything, let alone a whisky, but Bowmore is betting its newest release is one worth the delay.

The distillery, founded in 1779 in the town of Bowmore, is the oldest licensed distillery on Islay. It’s also the second-oldest in Scotland, and one of the few that still runs its own floor maltings, using peat smoke to dry the barley on-site.