Nearly every European country has its own fruit brandy. Some are a bit agricultural, but here's a taste of the best. At Capreolus Distillery near Cirencester, Barney Wilczak produces unusually soulful eaux de vie, the clear, fragrant brandy distilled from apples, gooseberries, cherries, pears, plums, raspberries, grapes, quince, and other fruits grown within a 35-mile radius. The distillery is located in his father's garage, with the still in the shed, but the liquids are extraordinary. Each 60-litre container represents around 4,000kg of fruit, picked within a day of ripeness, wild-fermented over months, then triple-distilled to exacting specifications. Wilczak hand-graded 2 million raspberries for his first batch, rejecting any imperfection.
Why Eaux de Vie Are Worth Trying
Fancy restaurants are keen to add Capreolus to their after-dinner trolleys, with chef Anne-Sophie Pic as an early champion. A tiny taste of the raspberry version evokes memories of picking berries in a garden, offering an intense, perfume-like experience. While expensive, the quality is evident, and they can be used like cocktail bitters to transform a martini.
Styles Across Europe
Various styles of eau-de-vie are made across Europe, often domestically to use surplus fruit but sometimes reaching refinement. Kirsch (cherry) is a German/Austrian speciality; poire williams is classic in Switzerland; slivovitz (plum) is popular in eastern Europe; Hungarian pálinka is a national obsession. It is perhaps the most purely agricultural spirit, expressing its particular place, closer to wine than most commercial spirits.
Four Fragrant Eaux de Vie to Try
- Luxardo Kirsch de Cuisine £17.34 (500ml) Tesco, 25%. Use in a rose cocktail: 50ml dry vermouth, 25ml kirsch, dash of grenadine.
- G. Miclo Eau de Vie de Marc d'Alsace Gewürztraminer £53.25 (700ml) The Whisky Exchange, 45%. Outstanding Alsatian distiller and grape.
- Capreolus Raspberry Eau de Vie 2024 £134 (375ml) The Whisky Exchange, 43%. Raspberries in four dimensions; all varieties are amazing.
- Somerset Apple Eau de Vie £19.95 (350ml) Master of Malt, 40%. Unaged apple brandy from a fine Somerset producer.
