Saint James Royal Ambré

I think I've done a number of reviews now where I said something was "my least favorite agricole so far", and this is another in that series. However, plumbing the "depths" of agricole quality doesn't really result in finding bad stuff. It seems the quality asymptotically decreases toward somewhere around "just fine", which is where this falls. The aroma is pretty faint, just a bit of grassy funk and molasses, maybe a dash of chocolate, and a notable grapey side that reminds me of brandy. The flavor has more chocolate, more funk, more molasses, maybe a little grape still, a little tingly sugar. It's not much more powerful than the smell. The finish is slightly bitter and spicy, like cinnamon chocolate or something, and lasts a good while. This is 40% ABV which is less than most other agricoles I've tried, and I'm not sure whether it's because of that, but this strikes me as rather weak. Pretty much every other agricole I've had (aged or unaged) has hit me with some strong force on the palate, but this one comes off as fairly bland. It's not bad by any stretch, just mild and not attention-grabbing. It does make a pretty decent ti punch vieux. My main point of comparison for this is La Favorite Ambre. I started to do a side-by-side comparison of the two but quickly realized it was pointless because this can't hold a candle to La Fav. I suppose that shows how demanding I've become. I'm still a total n00b in the world of agricole and liquor in general, and like I say, this is perfectly serviceable, but it just doesn't hold up to other available stuff. To be fair, part of that may be a matter of taste. It's definitely less hot than La Fav or most other ones I've tried, and maybe some people would prefer that. One thing it does have going for it is it was only $25 for a bottle, which is among the cheapest I've seen for agricole. (That's one of the reasons I tried it, actually, along with just wanting to try a new agricole.) I probably won't buy this again, but I'm still interested in trying other stuff from Saint James at some point.

Rich aromas of cinnamon, raisin, vanilla, brown sugar, and cut grass. Light mouthfeel. Palate shows more raisin, brown sugar, and grass – plus bramble and and black pepper. Finishes medium-long. 3.25/5.00 – Quite Good (neat)

Not for me... Nose: grape chocolate Taste: grape chocolate, grass