Schnapps Idea Distillery Pear Packham Brandy
Imagine that first bite of a perfectly ripe pear, warmed by the late summer sun, picked right off the tree. That’s what this smells like. When a product like this is 40% pure ethanol and unaged, you’d expect it to smell a bit like vodka, but there’s almost no spiritous ethanol note here at all. I’ve smelled countless whiskies with a more obvious spirit smell than this, even after time in oak. How did they make it so damn clean? Put your nose in this glass and breathe in deeply; where most would burn out your nostril hairs, this one just makes you hungry. On the palate, this light and easy spirit slides down gently, leaving you with the lingering afterthought of summer days in the orchard. I’m tempted to make a pear martini with a splash of good vermouth.
