Clos Martin XO 15 Year Old Bas-Armagnac 750ml

The XO designation in French brandy law requires a minimum of six years of oak aging. Clos Martin's XO 15 Year is aged for a minimum of fifteen — two and a half times the legal requirement. That specific decision communicates Clos Martin's quality philosophy more directly than any marketing claim: the legal minimum is the floor, not the target. The target is the specific combination of roundness, mellowness, and fruit-forward approachability that fifteen years of Bas-Armagnac oak maturation develops in the Baco and Ugni Blanc blend that the estate specifically selected as the foundation for this expression.

Clos Martin is not the Laberdolive — the "DRC of Armagnac," the benchmark estate, the bottle that Khrushchev diverted his entourage to acquire. It is not the Château Laubade — the largest estate in Gascony, the only producer coopering its own casks, the prestige vintage house. Clos Martin is the Armagnac that introduces people to the category. It is the bottle that the Master of Malt reviewer ordered four times and described as getting "nicer and nicer the more I drink it — the sheer number of flavours of fruits, caramel and toffee, with an incredible aftertaste, under £40." It is the expression that another Master of Malt reviewer called "a smooth even silky Armagnac with a very delicate aroma, and a pleasant and long lasting taste that warms you up nicely with every sip — well worth the price, and do not forget it is a 15 year old Armagnac." The Ultimate Spirits Challenge included it in the Top 100 — confirming that "approachable and accessible" does not mean "ordinary."

Dried plums, light toffee, and vanilla on the nose. An initial burst of dry oaky tannins followed by a little spice on the palate. Stewed fruits, cigar boxes, almonds, prunes, and coffee beans. A juicy, plum-like softness. The most welcoming aged brandy in the Blackwell's Armagnac section — and the most natural introduction to what fifteen years in Gascony oak actually tastes like.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Clos Martin is a Bas-Armagnac producer located in Gascony — the southwestern French region whose specific combination of sandy soils, Atlantic maritime influence, and centuries of continuous alambic armagnacais distillation tradition produces what the French appellation system recognizes as the finest Armagnac in the country. The Bas-Armagnac subregion — specifically the sables fauves and boulbènes soil types of the Gers department — produces brandies of a specific lightness, aromatic finesse, and fresh fruit character that distinguishes them from the heavier, more tannic Ténarèze expressions and the leaner Haut-Armagnac productions.

The XO 15 Year is a blend of Baco and Ugni Blanc varieties — the two most complementary Armagnac grape types, whose specific combination the estate describes as providing the "roundness and mellowness" that makes this expression the ideal digestif. Baco 22A — the most aromatic and most richly fruited of the main Armagnac varieties — contributes dark fruit character, richness, and the specific depth that fifteen years in oak develops most completely from this variety's natural concentration. Ugni Blanc contributes structure, acidity, and the clean, precise backbone that moderates the Baco's richness into something more harmonious and more broadly elegant. Together they produce the specific combination of softness and fruit that makes Clos Martin's XO the most immediately accessible expression in the Blackwell's Armagnac section.

The production follows the traditional Armagnac protocol: alambic armagnacais continuous column still distillation at low proof — the single-pass method that preserves more flavor complexity from the base wine than the double-distillation Charentais method — followed by a minimum of 15 years in oak barrels. The extended aging beyond the XO legal minimum is the estate's most specific quality commitment: every year beyond the six-year floor adds complexity, rancio development, and the integrated depth that the reviewer who "ordered this four times" found becoming "nicer and nicer."

Critics Reviews

Ultimate Spirits Challenge — Top 100 Confirmation that the Clos Martin XO 15 Year reaches the most broadly accessible tier of formal spirits competition recognition.

Master of Malt community reviews (cumulative): "Stewed fruits, cigar boxes and plums. Spicy, soft and nutty, good sweetness and ripe fruit. Rounded and very soft/smooth, hints of almond, prune and coffee beans. Good length, but very soft, like a juicy plum."

"To add to my older review — this is my 4th order of this Armagnac. It just gets nicer and nicer the more I drink it. The sheer number of flavours of fruits, caramel and toffee offered by this gorgeous brandy, with an incredible aftertaste."

"A smooth even silky Armagnac with a very delicate aroma, and a pleasant and long lasting taste that warms you up nicely with every sip. Well worth the price, and do not forget it is a 15 year old Armagnac."

Del Mesa Liquor confirmed tasting note: "Rich notes of dried plums, light toffee and vanilla on the nose. On the palate is an initial burst of dry oaky tannins followed by a little spice, with a dry spirity finish."

Bottle2Gift extended tasting note: Nose: "Pronounced aromas of dried fruits — prunes, figs, and dates — alongside baked apples, vanilla bean, toasted oak, and baking spices of cinnamon and clove. Deeper notes of dark chocolate, leather, walnuts, and the distinct earthy, nutty character of developing rancio." Palate: "Full-bodied, smooth, and elegantly structured. Flavors of stewed dark fruits, rich caramel, and vanilla intertwine with complex spice notes, toasted nuts — particularly walnut — and well-integrated, supple oak tannins. Characteristic earthy and nutty rancio notes add a significant layer of maturity and depth."

LiquorGeeks extended tasting note: Nose: "Ripe plums, dried apricots, and candied orange peel, followed by a gentle waft of vanilla, cinnamon, and toasted oak — woven together with a subtle, earthy undertone." Palate: "Luscious fruits lead the way — plums, figs, and hints of dark cherries creating a delightful sweetness. As it develops on the tongue, the spiciness emerges, with cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg providing warmth and depth."

Clos Martin official description: "The blend of Baco and Ugni-Blanc varieties give to this Armagnac roundness and mellowness that makes it the perfect digestif."

Tasting Profile

Nose Rich, deep amber with polished mahogany tones — fifteen years of Gascony oak producing a warm, luminous color that communicates genuine maturity at a glance. The nose opens with the specific, immediately approachable combination that Baco and Ugni Blanc together produce at fifteen-year maturity: dried plums lead with the warm, concentrated fruitiness that is both the Baco variety's most characteristic and most immediately appealing aromatic contribution and the fifteen-year oak's most generous dried fruit development. Figs and prunes add darker, more concentrated dried fruit depth. Dried apricots and baked apples add the softer, warmer orchard fruit dimension. Candied orange peel adds citrus brightness that lifts the heavier fruit notes. Light toffee and vanilla add the warm, slightly caramelized sweetness of well-integrated fifteen-year oak. Toasted oak adds structural backbone alongside baking spices — cinnamon and clove threading through the fruit aromatics. A cigar box quality adds the most specifically aged dimension — the slightly woody, slightly tobacconist quality that fifteen years of Gascony oak deposits most distinctly. Dark chocolate and leather add secondary depth. A developing rancio thread — earthy, slightly nutty, and confirming the genuine maturity — adds the background confirmation of fifteen years of patient barrel contact without dominating the more immediately inviting fruit and toffee aromatics.

Palate Full-bodied, smooth, and elegantly rounded — the specific combination that the official description's "roundness and mellowness" captures most accurately and that every Master of Malt reviewer independently confirmed. The entry delivers an initial burst of dry oaky tannins — the fifteen-year oak's structural contribution arriving with genuine presence before the fruit warmth takes over. Stewed dark fruits — plums, figs, and dark cherries — carry through from the nose with the gentle, warming sweetness that the Baco variety develops most completely at this maturity level. Rich caramel and vanilla add the warm dessert dimension alongside toasted nuts and walnut — the most satisfying and most specifically Armagnac secondary palate quality. Cinnamon and nutmeg add warm baking spice. The rancio character deepens through the mid-palate as the earthy, nutty quality that Armagnac's most characteristic and most irreplaceable aged brandy note — adding genuine complexity without the overwhelming intensity of the Laberdolive's older vintages. Supple, well-integrated oak tannins provide structure throughout. The overall impression at 40% ABV is of a genuinely smooth and genuinely satisfying spirit — round, soft, and deeply pleasant in the specific way that the most repeat-purchased Armagnac in the Blackwell's range should be.

Finish Long, gently spiced, and sweetly resolved. Lingering spice — cinnamon and a touch of clove — carries the close most persistently alongside the caramel and toffee warmth. Prune and dried fruit notes fade gradually before the whole experience resolves into a long, graceful, refined sweetness that is the fifteen-year oak's most enduring quality statement. The rancio's earthy depth persists very faintly at the very close — a final confirmation of genuine Gascony brandy maturity. The "juicy plum" softness that the Master of Malt reviewer found most memorable is the finish's most fundamentally appealing quality — warm, soft, and immediately inviting the next sip.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Neat at room temperature in a tulip brandy glass or balloon — the cigar box, dried plum, and toffee character are most immediately appealing without dilution. The 40% ABV makes this the most immediately approachable and most broadly inviting Armagnac in the Blackwell's section — genuinely enjoyable without requiring patience, air, or added water, though 10 minutes of rest opens the rancio and darker fruit notes further. A few drops of water adds nothing essential but gently opens the baking spice and walnut dimension. Outstanding alongside dark chocolate, dried fig and almond preparations, prune tart, aged cheeses, espresso desserts, and as the natural close to any dinner where the conversation merits a genuinely distinguished and genuinely welcoming after-dinner spirit.

Cocktail Suggestions

Armagnac Sidecar (the classic serve) 1.5 oz Clos Martin XO · ¾ oz Cointreau · ¾ oz fresh lemon juice. Shaken over ice, served up in a sugar-rimmed coupe. The dried plum and toffee character of the XO carries naturally through the Cointreau and lemon — a Sidecar of genuine fruit depth and aged brandy warmth that showcases the Clos Martin's most approachable qualities in the most historically appropriate cocktail format.

Armagnac Old Fashioned 2 oz Clos Martin XO · 1 tsp Demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over large ice. The candied orange peel and vanilla carry through the Old Fashioned format naturally — the rancio and walnut adding secondary depth that bourbon rarely achieves in this format.

Gascony Digestif 2 oz Clos Martin XO · neat in a tulip glass with a square of dark chocolate on the side. The most traditional and most specifically Gascon serving — the cigar box and prune meeting the dark chocolate in a combination that Gascony has understood for centuries.