Author: kp

Reisetbauer Apricot Eau-de-vie

Happy Halloween, or as others know it, the final day of eau-ctober. I couldn’t find a pumpkin eau-de-vie so I settled for another orange fruit: apricot. This is the second in a series of two apricot eau-de-vie reviews, both from Austria. Next year I’ll have to review apricot spirits from elsewhere in Europe.

Reisetbauer produces a wide range of spirits distilled from malt, fruit, and even carrot, and all seem to be fairly well-regarded. Their website states that it takes 15g of apricots to produce one liter of brandy, which is roughly 3x what the Blume said they require. In theory this should produce a spirit that does an even better job of capturing the apricot flavor than the Blume did.

Smell: One sniff and it’s apparent this is an entirely different animal than the Blume. Not necessarily better or worse, but very different. It is incredibly pungent with sharp notes of fresh lemon verbena, lime, and Thai green mango salad. It has an almost absinthe quality to it. Initially there are some raw ethanol notes that blow off with some airtime.

Taste: Lemon and herbs once again. There are some accompanying fruity flavors as well, including apricot, but the lemony herbal thing is really what stands out. Is this a delightful new flavor of Ricola? It should be. Mouthfeel is medium.

Finish: The lemon becomes less herbal and more like candied Meyer lemon peel. There is also fresh cinnamon.

Overall: This doesn’t really scratch my apricot itch but it is unique and tasty. How these flavors came from apricots is beyond me. I would love to eat whatever apricot they used to make this, it is probably much different than the varieties grown near me (and perhaps not really intended for fresh eating at all).

Spirit Type: Eau-de-vie
Proof: 84
Vintage:
Age: 0
Cask Type: None
Rating: B

Blume Marillen Apricot Eau-de-vie

After two consecutive plum reviews, let’s move to a new fruit: apricot. I’ve had a soft spot for apricot eau-de-vie since traveling through the countryside of Montenegro, where I was fortunate enough to try some exceptional homemade apricot rakija. Though just as commercial Silvovitz cannot compare to the homemade variety, it seems unlikely that store-bought apricot eau-de-vie can compare to the more rustic versions made by many families in The Balkans.

Not surprisingly, there are few apricot eau-de-vie available in the US, but of those, the Blume has a solid reputation. From their website: “Blume Marillen—”blossom of the apricot”—captures the lovely bouquet and taste of the Klosterneuburger apricot found in the Wachau region of the Danube Valley. The Destillerie Purkhart “Blume Marillen” is famed for its delicate floral bouquet and a long, elegant finish. More than 9 pounds of apricots are distilled for each 750ml bottle.”

Smell: Sweet kumquats and tree-ripened apricot. After that there is a little bit of a soapy note and just a kiss of fresh basil.

Taste: The apricot is prominent but there is a fresh lemon note as well. There is also some spice, namely cinnamon and nutmeg, that helps add depth. Mouthfeel is medium.

Finish: It remains fruity here but becomes more bitter and earthy with apricot skin, a hint of moldy fruit, and a little wet cardboard.

Overall: This does a pretty good job of capturing the essence of the apricot while also not being boring. Certainly the apricot flavor could be stronger and the finish longer and cleaner. I imagine it’s difficult to get fruit flavor to shine through into distillate, so it may be necessary to make wider cuts, which increases flavor but can also lead to some less desirable flavors (e.g. soap, cardboard).

Spirit Type: Eau-de-vie
Proof: 80
Vintage:
Age: 0
Cask Type: None
Rating: B+

Clear Creek Blue Plum Brandy

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+

Clear Creek Mirabelle Plum Eau-de-Vie

I’m back after a long hiatus due to my 10-year-old laptop finally committing seppuku. It is gone but it died with honor and respect. My new whipper snapper of a machine has yet to earn its stripes, but it was cheap and available now, just in time for Eau-ctober. I have been celebrating all month but was not able to express my excitement to all my loyal readers so I am now committing to posting at least 4 eau-de-vie recipes before the end of the month.

Up first is the Clear Creek Mirabelle Plum Eau-de-Vie. This is what you need to know about this one: Clear Creek is a well-established and reputable distillery in Oregon, Mirabelle is a plum varietal developed in and grown mainly in the Lorraine region of France (is this Mirabelle de Metz or Mirabelle de Nancy? Nobody knows), and eau-de-vie is an unaged fruit brandy. The term “eau-de-vie” is French as most delicious things are and it supposedly translates to “water of life” in English but I don’t know enough French to validate that.

Smell: Huge aromas of ripe plum, floral apricots, and a little bit of harsh ethanol. With time the spirity harshness fades and this becomes soft as a pillow, and still fruity, with pear and turbinado sugar added.

Taste: The plum is certainly front and center here. A little harsher than expected for the relatively low ABV but it is unaged after all. Fruity for sure but does not have the depth that the nose did. Medium mouthfeel.

Finish: The plum fades and the taste become more dry like apricot skin. The end is very clean and slightly fruity.

Overall: Well made but doesn’t capture the essence of the fruit as much as I would have hoped. I expected higher-toned and more floral, fruity notes throughout.

Spirit Type: Eau-de-vie
Proof: 80
Vintage:
Age: 0
Cask Type: None
Rating: B

Privateer The Queen’s Share Single Cask Rum (Rumbustion Society Exclusive)

This is one of two Privateer rums available at K&L recently (this Queen’s Share is now sold out, but the BIB is still available as of today). While the BIB was a K&L store selection, the sticker on this Queen’s Share indicates it was selected by The Rumbustion Society of Smuggler’s Cove.

The Privateer website indicates the Queen’s Share is a fairly unique product: it is the result of re-distilling the tails from several batches of rum, which allows them to emancipate the hearts that had bled into the tails in their prior batches. This is something I have heard of moonshiners and home distillers doing, but as far as I know most of the larger distillers do not save and re-distill their tails.

Smell: butterscotch pudding, creme brûlée, that bread from grain d’or in the mall with the custard inside it. Behind that there’s a slight cinnamon apple note.

Taste: full and rich, the butterscotch from the nose is less pronounced here but it still has that creamy, desserty thing going on without being too sweet. There’s a small amount of baking spices and also a little bit of rustic funk that I normally find in Armagnac. Thick, oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Nothing new, still heavy on the rich yolky desserts. Medium in length.

Overall: Notably different and in my opinion tastier than the BIB. The whole experience here is pretty rich and luxurious. It’s always fun to see craft distilleries doing things a bit differently, especially when it results in a good product, and Privateer is successful in both regards here.

Spirit Type: Rum
Proof: 110.2
Vintage:
Age: 2 years
Cask Type: American Oak (New)
Rating: B

Privateer Distiller’s Drawer Bottled-in-Bond (K&L Exclusive)

Privateer is a distillery in Massachusetts that opened a handful of years ago and specializes in making rum. I gather that the company, and especially their master distiller, have garnered the approval from many rum geeks. K&L brought in two different Privateer Rums at the same time: this BIB as well as a portion of a cask of “Queen’s Share” that seems to have been selected by famed tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove (which I will review at some point).

Smell: cinnamon, allspice, pine sawdust, freshly cut oak, cedar. 

Taste: tobacco, light brown sugar, cinnamon. With a little water some freshly cut lumber emerges.

Finish: the cinnamon and lumber stand out here. There is a hint of soap also but it is not strong enough to mar the overall experience.

Overall: A well made rum but I am not a fan of those freshly sawn lumber notes, which betray the relatively young age. I will be interested in tasting future expressions after 6-7 years in oak.

Spirit Type: Rum
Proof: 100
Vintage:
Age:
Cask Type: American Oak (New)
Rating: C+

Domaine du Cardinat 1988 (K&L Exclusive)

Domaine du Cardinat is a very small producer in the Bas Armagnac region. K&L’s first imports from this domaine came three years ago when they brought in the 1987, 1992, and 1981 vintages. I never tried the 1987, but the 1992 and 1981 were some of the best Armagnac I’ve had, so I immediately purchased the 1988 and 2005 vintages when they became available on the K&L website.

Smell: First whiff gives off some varnish notes. Once that blows off it is both sweet earthy, like a big bunch of grapes,stems and all. There’s also Grade B (dark) maple syrup and a bit of something pretty and floral like gardenia.

Taste: Tart and sweet with grape nerds, underripe green grapes, flat Vanilla Coke, and maple syrup – but it is more of a Grade A/light amber (or whatever they call it now) rather than the darker maple notes from the nose. The texture is a little on the thin side.

Finish: Those grape nerds hang on, it gets tangier, and the oak becomes slightly tannic. The final note is both tart and mouth-drying.

Overall: This is lighter bodied and a simpler flavor profile than I would have guessed based on the color, age, and on the other Cardinat vintages I’ve had (namely the ‘81 and the ‘92) but it is no slouch. While not the monster I was expecting, it is tasty and very drinkable. A very good deal for the price.

Spirit Type: Armagnac
Proof: 94
Vintage: 1988
Age: 31 years
Cask Type: French Oak (New)
Rating: B

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2013, AKA FRLESmB13

Beginning in 2008, Four Roses has released a limited edition small batch blend each year, and this 2013 edition is largely regarded by whiskey geeks and Four Roses groupies as one of the best of those (the 2008 and 2009 were called “Mariage” but the name was changed beginning in 2010). The 2012 edition was named American Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate back when those types of awards had some shred of credibility, so the pressure was on the distillery to release another winner in 2013 (spoiler alert, they did: the ’13 won the same award). The 2013 blend includes 13 year old OBSK, 13 year old OESK, and 18 year old OBSV, the latter of which has its own interesting story. Essentially, when they were making that bourbon (presumably in about 1995, 18 years prior to 2013) the “V” yeast had mutated but they didn’t realize it until after they had fermented a whole batch of mash, which would have been tens of thousands of gallons. The resulting bourbon ended up being something special but they did not keep any of the mutated yeast to make additional bourbon, which supposedly retired Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge claims as one of the only regrets from his long whiskey career.

In addition to this being released when whiskey awards may have had more meaning, this was released when limited editions such as these actually hit shelves, albeit briefly, and could be found. I was able to locate several bottles of this at the time in addition to several bottles of the Four Roses Limited Edition Single Barrel, which was also generally excellent, but which they do not release anymore, and which I will review at some point also. I hope you enjoyed my which sandwich. Let’s get into the tasting notes.

Smell: musty and earthy, then a big heaping spoonful of vanilla yogurt, big oak notes, and black cherry. The whole thing is like walking through a Kentucky rickhouse on a warm, wet spring day.

Taste: cherry cough syrup up front, which transitions to tongue-tingling spice and then freshly sawn but well-seasoned oak. There’s some turbinado sugar as well, but on the whole it keeps from being too sweet.

Finish: it’s mostly about the spice here, and it’s mostly savory. Damp oak and some funky stewed fruit notes are here too, along with the trademark Four Roses mint. Texture is medium.

Overall: really interesting transition from smell to taste to finish. A very solid release and worth at least some of the hype it gets.

Spirit Type: Bourbon
Proof: 103.2
Vintage:
Age: 13
Cask Type: American Oak (New)
Rating: A-

Glenburgie 25, 1992 (Cadenhead’s)

I visited London for the first time over Christmas of 2017. Most of the “sites” I wanted to see were the whisky shops for which London is known, and at the top of my list was the Cadenhead’s shop. Cadenhead’s releases new products roughly quarterly and seems to have an ever-changing selection in their stores as a result, so I wasn’t entirely sure what I would stumble upon while there. Yes, I could have ordered online, but where’s the fun in that? Anywho, I picked up several bottles while there (whisky and otherwise), including several bottles from the “cask ends” series, which offers some of their releases in a convenient 20cl format. This Glenburgie was a recommendation from the shopkeeper who was helping me, and at the time I believe they had already sold out of the 70cl bottles.

Smell: Lots of lemon, then a hint of strawberry, overripe honey dew, kiwi, a little table salt, and there’s some funkiness underlying it all. It’s like a very odd fruit salad but it works well.

Taste: Lemon hits the palate first followed by melon, but it’s overripe cantaloupe rather than the honey dew that was indicated by the nose. Immediately following the fruit are malted milk balls and sweet tea. Very easy to drink at full strength. The texture is good, not viscous but not thin either.

Finish: The fruit fades and the milk chocolate/malted milk ball note hangs around for quite a while.

Overall: The combination of fruit, milk chocolate, and malt works really well. I don’t recall exactly how much I paid for this but it was fairly reasonable for a 25 year old single malt. I wish I had another.

Spirit Type: Scotch: Single Malt
Proof: 109.2
Vintage: 1992
Age: 25
Cask Type: American Oak (Reused)
Rating: A-

Copper & Kings Pear Brandy, Single Cask for BevMo

Copper & Kings started off sourcing high-quality pot-distilled brandies from all over the country and creating their own unique spirits from them by further aging, finishing, and blending them to meet their desired flavor profiles. While they are distilling their own brandies now, it seems they have not completely stopped hunting for brandy treasures elsewhere (or at least they hadn’t as of late 2018 when this hit shelves). According to the proprietor of C&K, this is “sourced pure Oregon Pear Brandy. Average age is over 10 years with the oldest first distilled in 1996. It was aged in a variety of barrels. We blended it together and have it being polished in toasted, uncharted new American oak barrels. The barrels are 60 gallons (wine barrel size). We wanted the barrels to integrate the profile, and pear brandy is very, very delicate – so everything we do with pear will be uncharred.” The distillery is not disclosed but it is thought to have been a recently shuttered distillery that obviously needed to offload their stock (possibly Brandy Peak Distillery in Brookings, OR, but can’t be sure). Once the source brandy was all blended and allowed to meld in the 60-gallon barrels, each barrel was sold off as a single cask. Since my beloved K&L decided not to purchase a cask of this, I had to slum it and head to BevMo.

Smell: Pear skins followed closely by some funky Marc or grappa notes and then some soggy wood. If I didn’t know anything about the provenance I would guess this was distilled from fermented pear skins.

Taste: Concentrated, intense pear skin completely envelops the palate. There’s also a hint of clove, but it is really all about the pear here. If I listed anything else I’d be reaching. Nice, full mouthfeel. Drinkable and enjoyable at full strength.

Finish: More of a whole pear thing going on here with both the skin and the juicy flesh, but it’s still fairly tannic and mouth-drying. At the end is a slightly oxidative note that I usually get from wine- or sherry-finished spirits and which I don’t usually like but works ok here.

Overall: It’s hard to overstate how much this spirit captures the essence of fresh, ripe pears. It’s also hard to rate something this unique. The lack of depth would be an issue in most spirits but here, if there was more depth, it would probably taste less like pears. Would I rather it have more going on but not capture the pear flavor as well? No, I wouldn’t. I wish I could have tried the individual parts/casks before they were all blended together, it would have been interesting to taste and smell how it all came together.

Spirit Type: Other Brandy
Proof: 109
Vintage:
Age:
Cask Type: French Oak (Reused)
Rating: B+