Grades of Quality
The age on the bottle refers to the youngest constituent of the blend. A blend is often composed of old and young calvados. Producers can also use the terms below to refer to the age.
- "Fine", "Trois étoiles ***", "Trois pommes"—at least two years old.
- "Vieux"—"Réserve"—at least three years old.
- "V.O." "VO", "Vieille Réserve", "V.S.O.P." "VSOP"—at least four years old.
- "Extra", "X.O." "XO", "Napoléon", "Hors d'Age" "Age Inconnu"—at least six years old. Often sold much older.
High quality calvados usually has parts which are much older than that mentioned. Calvados can be made from a single (generally, exceptionally good) year. When this happens, the label often carries that year.
Read more about this topic: Calvados (brandy)
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