Clear Creek Distillery produces two different plum brandies, one made from Mirabelle Plums, which I reviewed three days ago, and one made from Italian Blue Plums. The latter is the subject of today’s review.
Italian Plums are bluish purple and are, I think, what many people call “prune plums”. They have very good flavor at peak ripeness when their flesh is still very firm and sweet. They bear some physical resemblance to the plums grown in much of Eastern Europe for the purpose of making homemade slivovitz, though I think those are more closely related to the Damson type.
Smell: Fruity and wonderful. There are plum notes, for sure, but also many candy fruit notes. Every original Jolly Rancher flavor seems to be represented.
Taste: Fresh prune plums galore. There is just the right level of sweetness to compliment the fruit flavor but not so much that it becomes cloying after multiple sips. Mouthfeel is medium.
Finish: Becomes slightly more tart and tannic here giving the impression of plum skin, which really rounds out the whole plum experience.
Overall: This is really good stuff, and I actually slightly prefer it to the Mirabelle. I wish that 1. The palate had the depth of the nose, and 2. I could try this at the proof it came off the still instead of 80.
Spirit Type: Eau-de-vie
Proof: 80
Vintage:
Age: 0
Cask Type: None
Rating: B+