Badel Hrvatska Stara Sljivovica

Badel Hrvatska Stara Sljivovica

Brandy: Slivovitz
From: Croatia proper
House: Badel 1862
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Straw
ABV: 40%

N: damson jam, prune juice, bubble gum, purple corn, dried pineapples, cloves, hints of nutmeg.

M: light body, slippery, astringent, tingly.

T: Sweet sour. Purple corn, dried pineapples, plums, creme fraiche, hints of green tea.

F: Medium. Green tea, bitter almonds, bubble gum, hints of vanilla.

Comments:

Never had slivovitz before I stepped into Croatia, but I thought, why not? It's eaux-de-vie, maybe not aged as long as grape or apple distillate, but drink as widely as one can, I always say. So I snagged a little sample of Badel sljivovica, as they call it in Croatia. It's been aged about 4 years in Slavonian oak, so it doesn't quite look like firewater, instead taking on a straw colour.

It's essence of plum alright, but exaggeratedly so, almost bubble gummy. There's purple corn and pineapples, reminding me of nothing so much as chicha morada, that Peruvian thirst quencher. On the tongue, there's also something fermented, like creme fraiche, which I like as it introduces complexity and spikes the sweetness a bit. On the finish, one can taste the bitter almonds that must come from the cracked plum pits during fermentation.

Makes me wonder what could be achieved if it were aged a bit more than 4 years. That would probably mellow out the sweetness, and create something more complex and even more flavourful. Come on Badel, give it a go!

Verdict:

I like this.