Tag: 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+

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