24/01/2025 do Polski znowu

Sliwowica Podbeskidzka (50%, Toorank Distilleries, b. ca. 2024): nose: strangely, for a plum eau-de-vie, this has abundant gingerbread and cinnamon buns. In a way, it reminds me of those chocolate-coated plums (Sliwka Naleczowska), which, of course, would be logical, were it not for the fact they do not smell like plum, at least not as the fresh fruit. Indeed, this has an air of mulled wine, initially. That does come closer to plum eau-de-vie with a few minutes' breathing -- and , obviously, that is precisely what this is. It has a slight greenness, vine leaves or suchlike. The second nose sees a windscreen wiped clean with acetone, and plum skins (if little flesh), which imparts a soft bitterness. Mouth: sweet, fruity, pushing towards the metallic side of bitter. There is absolutely zero doubt this is a plum eau-de-vie, here: it makes no effort to conceal its raw material, and is one of the most-straightforward things we have tasted for this blog. One can see this go down a treat with a scoop of sorbet in the summer. The second sip fans the bitter flames a little; it remains a fruity bitterness, but still. It turns a little more drying too, with some gravel upon which one would have spilled plum juice. Finish: fruit, chocolate, fruit. Once more, it is so simple and to-the-plummy-point one may be tempted to file it under an "uninteresting" header, yet it gives out a fleeting, creamy chocolate-milk tinge that injects a little excitement. It is really reminiscent of Sliwka Naleczowska -- and who would have thunk, eh? Same provenance, same base ingredient, same objective (to make merry), same result. What a coincidence! Pleasant. Although, honestly, it is not the sort of things tOMoH would actively seek out. 5/10 (Thanks, MK)