After a small summer break, its time to start blogging today – so to speak, Galumbi – Drinks & More starts into the next season. And while most people probably think of football when they hear the word “season”, different types of fruit are also in season, of course, which brings us (more or less) elegantly to the heart of today’s topic: It is about eau-de-vies respectively Brände and Geiste (in German). More precisely: about two premium Brände and a premium Geist from the house Scheibel. (provided test products)*

Long-time readers of my blog will certainly remember that I have already presented various bottlings from the house of Scheibel here one or the other time. For example, the Scheibel Premium Ingwer Royal Spirit, the Alte Zeit Apricot Brandy, the Kamin-Kirsch or the Moor-Birne. In the latter article, I also put a few introductory words about the Scheibel distillery on imaginary paper, which is why I would also like to refer to it for a general orientation.

Today, however, it is about three different bottlings, which I was very excited about in advance. With a Williams Brand (eau-de-vie), there is a very traditional representative among them, but also the mirabelle Brand (eau-de-vie) and a sloe Geist (eau-de-vie), which will be the subject of the following, are popular classics of the fruit distiller’s craft. So let’s go straight into medias res and take a closer look at the three bottlings.

Scheibel Premium Williams (its official name) is based on a mash of (previously cored) tree-ripened Williams-Christ pears from the Ortenau region. This is finally double distilled (over gold, as they always stress at Scheibel) and then finally bottled at a classic 40% vol.

Tasting Notes “Scheibel Premium Williams”:

Aroma: Immediately, a ripe, rich Williams pear is on the nose, showing itself to be very authentic and aromatic. With time, subtle associations of vanilla, diffuse citrus tones and a hint of sea buckthorn come in.

Taste: Here the well captured character of the Williams pear welcomes you. The flavor impression develops along the fruit, so to speak – from the pear skin to the pulp, the cutting out of the seeds is recognizable. Again, subtle citrus tones and vanilla that remains diffuse.

Finish: medium long with notes of the pear peel and subtle hints of spices.

There are certainly countless ways to show off the Williams pear notes of Scheibel Premium Williams in a drink. Today, I opted for a summer highball in which the pear character remains noticeable, but some very exciting flavors flank the drink. So I used a Żubrówka (which I very rarely do), Rosolio di Bergamotto to underline the subtle citrus tones, fresh lemon juice and a hint of lavender syrup. My thoughts when tasting the drink went in the direction of a meadow hillside with fruit trees and citrus growing and tall grass and lavender lining the paths. Hence, the drink is simply called “Sloping Meadow.”

Recipe “Sloping Meadow”:

4 cl Scheibel Premium Williams
2 cl Żubrówka
3 cl Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
3 cl lemon juice
1 bar spoon of lavender syrup (Maison Meneau)

Soda water

Preparation: Shake all ingredients except soda water vigorously in a shaker over ice, pour into glass filled with crushed ice and top with soda water.

Glass: Highball

Garnish: Lemon zest

Scheibel Premium Sloe, unlike the other two bottlings discussed in this article, is not a Brand but a Geist. So they didn’t mash sloes here, but instead let wild sloes harvested after the first frost from the Carpathians macerate in alcohol and finally distill (once). It was then bottled at 41% vol.

Tasting Notes “Scheibel Premium Sloe”:

Aroma: Again, a thoroughly authentic picture of sloe. Associations of almonds and the closely related plum, but also a little cherry and some marzipan.

Taste: rich and full-bodied, always authentic with subtle accompanying notes of almond, cherry and indeed some juniper.

Finish: medium to long with bitter almonds.

The overall slightly stronger sloe naturally tolerates a little stronger accompaniment. In my “Crimson Sloe” (which is simply named after its color) I have therefore relied as a base on a Reserved Gin, which comes with yellow Chartreuse, some Luxardo Sangue Morlacco (alternatively Cherry Heering) and a hint of Fernet Branca. The Scheibel Premium Sloe remains always recognizable and forms a round basic aroma, a very nice drink; not only, but also for the cold season.

Recipe “Crimson Sloe”:

4 cl Reserved Gin (e.g. Citadelle)
2 cl Scheibel Premium Sloe
1,5 cl Chartreuse jaune
1.5 cl Luxardo Sangue Morlacco (alternatively Cherry Heering)
1 bar spoon Fernet Branca

Preparation: Stir all ingredients on ice until cold and strain into a pre-chilled glass.

Glass: goblet or coupette

Garnish: two cherries

And last but not least, there is the Scheibel Premium Mirabell. Here, mirabelles from the Black Forest form the basis, of which about 5kg are mashed for each bottle of the brandy. With 43% vol. the bottling strength here is the highest, which I find quite exciting. It was distilled twice.

Tasting Notes “Scheibel Premium Mirabell”:

Aroma: Again, an extremely aromatic and authentic picture of fully ripe mirabelles, which come along with typical notes of marzipan and diffuse transitions to other bright fruits. So I also keep finding associations of peaches, but also of honeydew melon and some quince.

Taste: Full-bodied and ripe Mirabelle with a quite expressive character, I imagine that the 43% vol. here very well come to bear. Again diffuse, bright fruits and some mint.

Finish: medium long and floral

For the Scheibel Premium Mirabell, my choice was a cocktail by Simon Difford, the Left Bank Martini, which he says he created in 2006 for a PR event for the St. Germain elderflower liqueur. I’ve changed quite little here, but split the gin portion with some mirabelle eau-de-vie, which really works brilliantly.

Recipe: „Left Bank Mirabelle Martini“ (adapted from Simon Difford, 2006):

3.5 cl gin
2.5 cl Scheibel Premium Mirabell
1.5 cl St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1.5 cl dry white wine
0,75 cl dry vermouth

Preparation: Stir all ingredients on ice (Simon Difford shakes the drink) and strain into the pre-chilled glass.

Glass: Martini

Garnish: Lemon zest

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online

*The fact that these products have been sent to me free of charge for editorial purposes does not – in any way – imply any influence on the content of this article or my rating. On the contrary, it is always an indispensable condition for me to be able to review without any external influence.