Clear Libations

We didn't love Csalló's plum or quince, but we do appreciate that they present their offerings at 50%.

Nose On the lighter side, it is somewhere between a melon boat (you know, sliced honeydew with an orange slice and glace cherries?) and cologne. Freshly cut green apples too. Nice enough. Little difference with water.

Palate Arrives slightly viscous, the fruit salad and cologne theme continues, becoming slightly chalky or dusty. A little heat. Medium finish. Again, not much difference with water.

Comments My favourite offering so far from Csalló, a tad simple but at least it did not have the bitterness of the plum or quince.

Price around €38 per 50cl.

Score^?5/10

For unfathomable reasons, Szicsek don't promote their brand on their front labels.

Nose A fuller nose here, with menthol cherry lozenges and a sweeter side with maraschino cherry and overripe oranges. Quite medicinal, ointments? It takes a little water.

Palate Very nice here, full, grippy but without roughness. Menthol, ointments, propolis, blood oranges... this is rather interesting and quite nice. I don't really find cherry at all, sour or otherwise, but that is no problem. Medium long finish, remaining rather medicinal.

Comments Even though we are not proponents of 'higher proof = better', I'm still surprised this not the 50%er, being rather fuller on the nose and palate than the others. I had this on 6 at first, but that bit of propolis really does it for me. Once again, Szicsek are today's standout, great value too.

Price around €26 per 50cl.

Score^?7/10

It says dark cherry, but we have checked that these are sour.

Nose Certainly on the sour side of things, both sour cherry and lemon, with some greek yoghurt. Hint of rubber? Almonds, and lemon drizzle cake. Not too expressive, but nice enough.

Palate Similar story here - smooth for a moment, then a little ethanol, cherry maoam candies, lemon, pasta di mandorle. Quite light and high toned overall. Not much development or length, and water is not beneficial.

Comments I like the zesty nose, but I find the palate a bit flat.

Price around €45 per 70cl.

Score^?4/10

Not a fan of this branding, which has some suggestion of "premium vodka". I notice pineapple distillate in Schizler's portfolio though, which is rather intriguing.

Nose Slightly sweeter here, more on black cherry yoghurt and a touch of almond. Also quite simple, but nice enough nosing.

Palate More rustic than the nose, some earthiness and heat up front, dark cherries buried in mud then some sour cherry in both its pleasant and unpleasant aspects. Medium finish, chewing on the pits. Also not much change with water.

Comments You have to like a bit of earth. Marginally prefer this to [the Bestillo], but it doesn't quite rise to a 5.

Price around €18 per 35cl.

Score^?4/10

Continuing our way through Nusbaumer's tasting sets. No indication that this involves a maceration.

Nose Almonds, a little marzipan even, tart plums, and plum tart. Fairly simple but nice enough. Were the stones left in here?

Palate Solidly plummy arrival, mildly sweet with some nice bite on the midpalate and back-end, a little black pepper, and eventually those almonds. Goes on medium long, without much development.

Comments Really nothing to complain about here, typically solid if unspectacular Nusbaumer. I prefer it without water.

Price around €49 per 70cl.

Score^?5/10

Here the sloes are macerated in eau de vie de vin, which is then redistilled.

Nose The lightest nose here but still something to offer. Some grape kool aid, white wine vinegar, greengages and one rubber band. A little dusting of ground almonds.

Palate More ethereal than [the Nusbaumer]. Dark cocoa, mild pluminess, a decent amount of spice (pepper and a little clove) and finally some tannic skins. I like it more here than on the nose, it's less plummy than [the Nusbaumer] closer to the slightly rebarbative nature of eating a sloe. Takes a drop of water.

Comments Disappointing nose, but alright on the palate.

Price around €53 per 70cl.

Score^?4/10

This should be the 2010 harvest, aged in glass for 11 years. Rochelt claim up to 100kg of sloes are needed per litre of spirit, due to their low sugar content.

Nose Very rich and fruity. Actually this smells a lot like berries, mostly raspberry and blackberry, even summer pudding. A hint of rubber or tar? This is really nice. Finding some liquorice now, violets, forest fruit yoghurt, berry blossoms, and rust.

Palate Rather concentrated at strength and showing more industrial notes alongside the fruit and flowers. Hot metal, machine oils, boiling compote, rubber, violets. Some fruity 100% cacao chocolate. This needs some water. With water, gets quite some mist. It remains quite industrial, but also creamy, fruity and floral – mostly on berries and their blossoms. Some tannin on the back end, going on quite long with the summer pudding finally reasserting itself.

Comments Not my favourite Rochelt, but very good and pretty interesting (where did those berries come from?) I found it more fruity than floral, compared to Different Spirits, but the florality is there. In any case, I've had much soapier Rochelts (Quince and Gravenstein come to mind).

Price around €270 per 70cl.

Score^?7/10

A much lauded agricole, widely available on the bottom shelf of French supermarkets. Potentially a stunning value proposition?

Nose Bright and powerful, very citrus forward, particularly sharp lemons, but also bergamot, grapefruit, calamansi, with a lot of pips. A bit of industrial grease, and a ton of salt, play-doh even. Grass juice? Petrichor. Not much change with water, but it takes a drop.

Palate A very strong impression here. Full mouthfeel from the off, it balances that electric, lemon driven citrus side with a mild cane sweetness. Then tons of liquorice, some mineral oil, lemon peel, earth. Somehow clean and dirty at the same time. Goes on quite long, with that oily mouthfeel clinging. Again, water isn't too beneficial.

Comments This is a bit of a masterclass in what I think of as a classical agricole profile. The liquorice, presence in the mouth, and price point win me over. Bielle has some super fans, but I only count myself as a fan.

Price around €30 per litre.

Score^?7/10

La Favorite ranks very highly in my book, I really loved the Bel'Air cuvée. This one is another of their single plot, single variety bottlings.

Nose Rich, more cane forward than [the Bielle]. Petrichor for days, fruity peppercorns, sandalwood, a touch of potpourri (rose?). Musty old books, greenhouse, bagasse. Full of earth and spice, backed up by subtle cane sweetness. This is really nice and very "La Fav".

Palate Gorgeously spicy - sandalwood, green peppercorns, earth, salt - all backed up by a very solid cane sweetness. Petrichor, grapefruit, lime, watercress. This is a rather rich profile and extremely characterful. The most delicious dirt ever.

Comments I love this more decadent nose, and the petrichor is to die for. If the Bielle is Riesling, perhaps this is Grüner. (Ed: that doesn't make any sense.)

Price around €43 per 70cl.

Score^?7+/10

Another distillery we hold in high regard, but we've never tried their standard offering until now – only higher proof organics and some aged bottlings (which are never as good as the best blancs).

Nose A bit quieter here. Angelica, a little raspberry, seawater, sugarcane. Orange creamsicle? Oxidised white wine? Baby sick? Not a lot jumping out, a subtle nose. A little water does help to find notes.

Palate Powerful entry with some heat, driven by green notes, peppermint and bell pepper, alongside cane. Earth, liquorice root, and a bit of fino starting to turn to vinegar. Decent texture, and a touch of sweetness. Eventually there is a hint of those raspberries, and grapefruit. The length is medium, with some residual bitterness.

Comments Solid, but struggles amongst the others, particularly on the nose. There are better Neissons, perhaps better batches even. This will make an excellent ti' punch.

Price around €35 per litre.

Score^?5/10

A nice vintage bottle of Neisson blanc, pre-AOC. Probably from the 80s as there is no barcode. I think this was the standard offering back in the day, so comparable to the standard blanc – the presentation is almost identical, at least. The level in the bottle had dropped to mid-shoulder.

Nose Full of juicy fruit gum, old books in an attic. Some apples and pears, banana. Not hugely expressive, but characterful.

Palate Old books, smoking room, juicy fruit. A good bit of sweetness. Elegant throughout. Medium finish with white pepper and pears.

Comments Closer to some of my favourite Neissons with all this subtle fruit. I feel this has lost a little to evaporation perhaps, because it's a touch 'flat'. I definitely prefer it to the contemporary bottling though.

Price Unknown

Score^?6/10

Presumably the Hungarian 'birs' comes from the German 'birne'. As we noted for the Csalló plum, this is a 'Kisüsti', meaning batch distillation in a still with a capacity less than 1,000 litres.

Nose Not too expressive but I would say this is more on galia melon and lemon zest than quince, but maybe a touch of quince jam too. It definitely has a little sweetness. Water helps, rounding it out without losing anything.

Palate A raw, strong attack, dominated by bitter quinces, lemon peel. A little overstewed black tea. The finish is medium, with quite some bitterness. I would guess this is the Csallo, it presents similarly to their plum, with a fairly inexpressive nose and quite a brutal and bitter palate. Again, water is beneficial here, reducing the heat and letting the fruit shine a bit more, rather perfumed, but still bitter quinces.

Comments It comes out swinging, and gets some kudos for that. There is some complexity here, but it's much too bitter for my liking - it builds and sticks in the throat as you sip. Yes, quinces have bitterness, but this seems to be more of a producer thing, given the similarities with the plum.

Price around €37 per 50cl.

Score^?4/10

Once again, I find it bizarre that the distillery is hidden in small text on the back label, while the front label remains rather generic. That's not a promising formula, but we found a lot of quality in Szicsek's pumpkin...

Nose Jumps out of the glass more than [the Csalló], rather heady, some nail polish remover, very crisp quinces, asian pear for days, apple candy esters. Air freshener, parmesan rinds? This is the most complex nose of the three, a bit heady for my liking but pretty good.

Palate Strong but measured attack, rather fruity and zesty. Again lots of asian pear, lemon peel, freshly sliced quince. A much more balanced and pleasant bitterness here, in the finish, balanced by a tiny hint of sweetness, and going on fairly long.

Comments The strongest showing here, second only to Rochelt in our quince tastings to date. In fact, they are not too dissimilar. The Rochelt shows more complexity and texture, but this one is perhaps more approachable. Oh, right, this one is also six times cheaper, and in fact the cheapest of today's lot. Recommended.

Price around €30 per 50cl.

Score^?6+/10

Coming to the end of our Gölles sample stash, with only Williams pear to go. Not that we'll have tasted them all at that point...

Nose More balanced here. This is quite a rich and sweet expression of quince, perhaps caramelized or candied. Perhaps some orange oil, perhaps a few root vegetables (sweet potato?). It does lack a little firepower and complexity.

Palate A more measured, gentle arrival here. Very nice expression of fruit on the midpalate, again mostly sweeter, candied quince but balanced by fresher zesty and bitter touches. Asian pear again too, coffee cake. This reminds me a bit of Capreolus' 1000 Apples, both in the roundedness, subtle sweetness and perfume.

Comments Amongst our least favourite Gölles expressions to date, but perhaps quince is not so much our thing in general.

Price around €48 per 35cl.

Score^?6/10

Continuing our exploration of Nusbaumer via their sets of miniatures. We greatly appreciate miniatures at Clear Libations. This is distilled from a maceration involving 8kg fruit per litre of alcohol.

Nose Moderate expressivity - I find some lemon, raspberry bushes, ethanol, forest fruit boiled sweets, bubblegum. The fruit is definitely there, but this is coming across like a maceration based spirit with its relative lightness.

Palate Good balance of mild sweetness and spice, somewhere between spearmint and cinnamon. Then we find a good bit of raspberry esteriness, both boiled sweets and fresh. The finish is medium, mostly remaining on raspberry notes. Guessing this is the Nusbaumer. (Ed: now you're showing off.)

Comments Decent, but leaves something to be desired. Not much change with water, maybe a touch more fruit on the palate.

Price around €45 per 70cl.

Score^?5/10

Another older miniature, with good fill, from this collective of small producers. We really enjoyed their plum...

Nose Oh, weird. This is fishy, particularly anchovy, brine. Beyond that, some raspberry jam, but it's hard to smell past the fish (methanol?). Don't mind a bit of that in the right context, but not with my raspberry jam.

Palate Not much better here. Flat on the arrival, there is more of the brine and anchovy at first. The finish clings on for a bit and here we find fleeting touches of fresh raspberry.

Comments Something has gone wrong here I think, only the finish redeems it slightly. Couldn't finish it. This is a shame, because we greatly enjoyed some of Ferme Chassard's other offerings, and found a family resemblance in them which is totally absent here.

Price Unknown

Score^?2/10

Always a pleasure to have Rochelt on the tasting table. Interesting that they have chosen 52% here, over the usual 50%. This is a pure fruit mash, no maceration - the claim is that up to 60kg of raspberries per litre of product are needed. Correspondingly, I believe this is the priciest bottle from this pricy producer. This should be either the 2013 (matured 7 years in glass) or 2016 (matured 5 years in glass).

Nose This is lovely. Very aromatic raspberry, fresh this time, as if I were in a raspberry warehouse in summer. A lot of rosewater, perhaps a few blackberries? Lemon drizzle cake, soft cinnamon, spearmint. Overall this is comparable to [the Gölles] but a bit fresher and richer. Can take a drop of water, becomes slightly misty, and slightly sweeter.

Palate Quite some weight here, very floral at first (rose), then rather grippy and citrussy (lots of lemon zest, a little pith), with some bitterness (leaves?). Some nuttiness on the midpalate, acidic fresh raspberry, seeds. Long finish, with lemon drizzle cake, fresh raspberries. It does take a drop of water, which gives everything more room.

Comments If you are expecting pure raspberry on the palate, you are going in with the wrong mindset. I adore this nose, the palate is more challenging but still very good.

Price around €350 per 35cl.

Score^?7/10

An older miniature with a good fill level from this well known producer.

Nose This one is fairly neutral. If I'm reaching, there are some berries in the far distance, a little mustiness.

Palate Again, quite neutral. There is some sweetness and a little mustiness, and eventually a little raspberry in the finish. Nothing offensive here, just not a lot either.

Comments Again, this is an older miniature, and may not represent today's bottlings.

Price Unknown

Score^?3/10

Why have we tasted so many Gölles? Are we on the take? No - we were rather impressed by one or two, and so swiftly bought almost the entire range in 50ml miniatures. Here, 29kg of fruit per litre are claimed - this is another fermented mash.

Nose Another strong impression with this one, just behind [the Rochelt]. Very aromatic fresh raspberries, quite perfumed, perhaps a touch of rose or raspberry blossom. Victoria sponge, with raspberry jam, naturally. Camomile too.

Palate Moderate arrival. Some decent grip here, very pleasant spice (cinnamon? marjoram?), rosewater, camomile, sweet raspberry. Really very floral overall, almost soapy in places (but nice). Finish is medium, with a little more sweetness (sugar cane?), and fresh raspberry coming more to the fore. Just a hair thin here and there.

Comments As with the Rochelt, I prefer the nose to the palate, but both are very good. Water doesn't change much. With a little higher proof, this might be on par with the Rochelt - it's not too far behind as things stand.

Price around €93 per 35cl.

Score^?7-/10