Calvados Boulard Fine Apple Brandy That's Always in Season
Among Calvados connoisseurs, no other name commands greater recognition (or elicits as much excitement) as Boulard. And with very good reason.
For nearly 200 years, Calvados Boulard has been crafted in the village of Coquainvilliers in the Pays d’Auge department, part of France’s Normandy region. It was founded in 1825 as both a cider and Calvados production distillery by the intrepid Pierre-Auguste Boulard, who was quite active in the development of the modern-day Calvados category.
Although Calvados may be produced anywhere in Normandy with basic guidelines, only the finest expressions come from the Pays d’Auge. Working with a skilled cooperative of growers on 150 family-owned acres, Calvados Boulard harvests over 120 varieties of apples from the nearly 800 grown.
Double distilled in copper pot stills and typically aged in new Limousin oak barrels (although a limited-edition line that’s been aged in ex-bourbon, rye, and mizunara casks is also available), Calvados Boulard’s recipe is unique. It yields a sumptuous golden liquid with an intense, fruit-forward flavor profile that offers up a lovely mouthfeel, complexity, and exceptional balance. Perfect neat or swapped in as a substitute for whisk(e)y or cognac in cocktails.
Calvados Boulard Highlights
Calvados Boulard has been crafted by the same family for nearly 200 years.
Calvados’ star is rising with American consumers — Boulard’s sales have skyrocketed in the last five years, showing 18% sales growth stateside.*
Calvados Boulard is a perfect cocktail ingredient — especially as a substitute for whisk(e)y or cognac.
* The Spirits Business, March 2023
The Core of Production
The Pays d’Auge region is much like that of the Grande Champagne region of Cognac, in its strict and finite regulations for spirit production. Calvados Boulard is the most notable of the Calvados found within the small region.
The unique soils of Pays d’Auge — a mix of clay, flint, and chalky clay with shallow depths — offer the perfect growing conditions to cultivate a wide range of apple varieties. Per production law for the region, Calvados Boulard is distilled two times in copper pot stills before resting in new Limousin oak barrels. By regulation, each Calvados must be aged no less than two years, with age designations that are similar to those used in Cognac: two years for VS, four years for VSOP, etc.
Seriously Green Apples
The Calvados industry is sustainable by its very nature.
According to the committee of the Calvados AOC, the carbon sequestration offered by a typical orchard ranges from 35 to 50 tons of carbon/hectare over a 25-year period.
The wide diversity of apple (and some pear) varieties ensures sustainable harvests and a strong resistance to vintage variations. Orchards also provide an incredible habitat for all manner of wildlife, encouraging serious biodiversity. The orchards do not require much in the way of phytosanitary products, as the land is often used for mixed farming and natural fertilizers are readily available. (In the Calvados region, it is very common to see cattle grazing within the apple orchards.)
Boulard grows, harvests, transforms, and distills all of their own apples into Calvados on their own premises within a 30-kilometer / 19-mile radius surrounding the distillery. This practice considerably limits their carbon footprint caused by transportation. Having their distillery onsite also limits their energy and water needs. Their water filtration system is a closed loop which optimizes the energy needed: the water enters cold, is heated by the distillate, then heats the cold cider and then is cold again.
