Official launch: 27 March 2026
The Virtues – Diligence | Calvados Domfrontais 1993 form Comte Louis de Lauriston Cellar
"How was it possible within thy breast for avarice to find place, ’mid so much wisdom as thou wast filled with by thy diligence?" DANTE – PURGATORIO, CANTO 22
The next profound chapter in The Virtues series, following Kindness, turns toward a quieter yet no less powerful force: Diligence.
This particular Calvados pays tribute to perseverance - the steadfast will that protects tradition, safeguards community, and transforms hardship into mastery.
Distilled in 1993 by a farmer from Chanu, laid to rest in a traditional Calvados cask (#F10CVN). Crafted from 60% pear and 40% apple, and distilled in a column still, it matured patiently for 31 years, slowly gathering depth, structure, and quiet authority.
Bottled in July 2024 at cask strength (53% ABV) with no additives, it remains an unembellished testament to time and devotion.
Only 183 bottles were produced.
Specifications
Appellation: Calvados Domfrontais
Origin: Normandy, France
Distillery: Christian Drouin
Distiller: Farmer from Chanu
Distilled: 1993, Column still
Bottler: Distilia
Bottled: July 2024
Cask: Traditional Calvados Cask, #F10CVN
Base: 60% pear, 40% apple
Maturation: 31 years
ABV: 53%
Limited Edition: 183 bottles
Size: 700 ml
Additives: None
Illustration & Selection: Robert Bauer
On a cold winter night in 1962 government officials stormed a remote Calvados farm in Normandy to arrest moonshiners. In a surge of solidarity, neighboring farmers rushed to the scene, overpowering the officers and bravely blocking the arrest with their tractors. After tense negotiations, the region’s patron, Comte Louis de Lauriston, resolved the conflict by offering to establish a central cellar for all local Calvados distillers. Through tireless diligence, he managed this warehouse for decades, securing the farmers’ livelihoods and preserving the diversity of Calvados styles.
This characterful Calvados reveals remarkable complexity. Mysterious notes of incense, old tobacco and overripe pear drift from the glass, entwined with apple seeds, dried lavender, and violet. Dark and weighty on the tongue, cocoa melts into the deep sweetness of dried apricots and pears. Lifted by the finest Darjeeling and wild thyme and mugwort, the surge of flavor fades into an endless, bittersweet finish touched with dried grapefruit peels.
Diligence is the relentless persistence of will - even in the toughest times - and can ultimately lead to true mastery and inner fulfillment.
About Comte Louis de Lauriston
The cellar of Comte Louis de Lauriston became a guardian of authentic Domfrontais Calvados, preserving small-scale farmer distillations that might otherwise have disappeared. By centralizing ageing and maintaining uncompromising standards, Lauriston ensured the survival of a diverse and deeply traditional Calvados heritage - one rooted in pears, patience, and generational dedication.
Read more about The Virtues.
