Volos Natura Apricot Rakija
Notes & Pairings
This is made from the local Šumadinka variety that’s extremely frost and drought resistant and with strong immunity to diseases and pests. While not as ancient as the Plum, apricots date back to the 3rd millennia BC via the Silk Road. Romans continued to spread the fruit all over the region around 70 BC. After just smelling this for the first time, it had to be a part of the lineup. There’s such a fine line between the extract and or essence of Apricot and the real deal. I grew up with two apricot trees in my backyard, and my olfactory memory has never been so aggressively triggered. It’s ripe without being candied or synthetically perfumed and doesn’t have that aromatic yeast quality we often find hiding in wines. Hand picked and spontaneously fermented, it’s then distilled once, distilled again at ~60% alcohol, and the second distillation is blended with demineralized water resulting in ~40% alcohol. There are no other additives.