Distiller Notes
This is the spirit that catapulted Hans Reisetbauer to stardom. Hans harvests pears underripe, ripe, and overripe to create balance and the sensation of texture in a clear spirit. Ideal, typical, ripe, juice fruit, discreet spice and piquancy, lively and stimulating: youthful taste with lovely fruit-spice interplay, with great potential for further development.
The williams pears are harvested in August and September and then kept in a cool room for a day or two to ripen further. After that, the fruits are washed, destemmed and immediately cut up and chopped to a mash. To avoid oxidation the fruits are pumped into a stainless steel fermenting tank. Now fermentation starts and the mash is agitated on a daily basis. The fermentation temperature is 16 to 17 °C and fermentation takes 8 to 10 days. 11,5 kg of williams pears are needed for one liter of 100% eau de vie.
Proof: 81
Eau de Vie, or ‘water of life,’ is a term in France that refers to any unaged or newly-made spirit in general. However English-speaking countries follow a narrower definition, applying the name only to clear, unaged Brandies that are twice distilled and made from fruit other than grapes. Many fine examples of Eau de Vies are produced all over the world.