Colour: orangey copper.

Nose: rich, concentrated. The powdery (cocoa) and spicy (ginger, clove) first nose is also medicinal (tiger balm, arnica). Allowed to breathe, very noble notes of maize develop. The aroma palette then becomes hot (Cayenne pepper, Espelette pepper), before dried fruit and nuts (walnut, almond, apricot) exquisitely punctuate the first stage in the tasting.

Palate: lively, sharp. The floral (lily, iris) yet vanilla attack highlights the deliciously honeyed (lime blossom), spicy (saffron) and mentholated distillate. On the mid-palate, notes of precious wood and beeswax underscore the flavour palette’s slightly empyreumatic character. The refreshing end of the palate is like a vanilla ice cream.

Finish: long, rich. The start of the finish opens with a delicious quince jelly and a just-as-tasty apricot jam. Sprinkled with cocoa, the texture is silky and fresh. The retro-nasal olfaction reveals new nuts (cashew, pecan, chestnut, almond). The empty glass is spicy (star anise, nutmeg) and vegetal (ivy, cut hay, straw).