Quince, Quitte, Coing, Dunja
April 9, 2023
Quince nicely exemplifies the category of smells better than it tastes, a phenomenon well known to spirits tasters, a world in which nose and palate can bifurcate. Of course, cooking transforms the fruit, so what about distillation; a process to which it is also no stranger? We put three head-to-head, semi-blind, with a bonus dram at the end.
Nusbaumer (Alsace, France) – Coing (Quince), c. 2022, 45%
A venerable producer in Steige. Apparently quince counts as an 'originale' rather than a 'classique' eau-de-vie. Their website implies this is produced via maceration.
Nose Juicy, ripe quince, a full nose. Slightly almondy, rowanberry?
Palate Mild arrival, slightly soapy (but nice), then spicier, giving way to membrillo, cooked quince, rowanberry. Medium body, quite a long finish, slightly mineralic. Water changes little.
Comments Not a lot to say here, it's enjoyable.
Price around €45 per 70cl.
Score?5/10
Pruna (Mačva, Serbia) – Dunja (Quince), 2014/2018, 42%
A distillery and winery in the west of Serbia. They have their own orchards, including plums, quinces, cherries, apricots and pears. Nicely presented, and I love that they tell us on the front of the label "aged four years in stainless steel".
Nose Close to [the Nusbaumer], but slightly quieter. A bit more straightforwardly on quince, in a relatively sweet and candied form. Quince bakewell tart? One-dimensional, but nice.
Palate Slightly spicy arrival, giving way to bags of cooked quince. Slightly less expressive than [the Nusbaumer], probably lower proof. Some of the herbalness of [the Rochelt], but a lot less. Medium finish. Doesn't do well with water.
Comments Slightly simple, slightly quiet, but a very nice nose – more quince character than Nusbaumer. Edges it on price too, this one's the preference.
Price around €40 per 70cl.
Score?5+/10
Rochelt (Tyrol, Austria) – Quitte (Quince), 2007/2021, L.49/21, 50%
This should be the 2007 harvest, aged 14 or so years.
Nose Very distinctive here. More towards apples! An impression of ethanol at first too. Crisper, less estery for sure. High toned, even slightly phenolic, medicinal. Mixed citrus peels. If there is quince it is more raw, seeds, etc. A little water helps, dispelling the ethanol, and adding pear, orange and cut grass. Certainly the most complex nose, but not the easiest.
Palate Very different, very herbal (thyme, rosemary), soap shop (but not soapy?), waxy and coating texture. Quince seeds, hard and raw quinces. Rather green and perfumed. Medium long, waxy herbal finish. Quite a ride. Water amplifies the complexity, medicinal, iodine. Challenging.
Comments Hard to score. This is far less straightforward than the others, but rewards time, ultimately showing itself to be on a different level. Score could go up.
Price around €130 per 35cl.
Score?7/10
Artisani (Rasina, Serbia) – Anteria, Dunja (Quince), bott. 2018, 40%
And finally, one bonus, not included in the semiblind (for obvious reasons). I believe this one is aged around three years.
Nose Sweet, cooked and candied quince, a little vanilla. Tasty, simple.
Palate Pleasantly sweet, lots of membrillo, a tiny bit of heat, a touch of american oak rounding it all out. Medium finish.
Comments This is really not bad, very easy to drink, nice flavour, but just a tad simple.
Price around €30 per 70cl.
Score?4/10