Säntis Malt Whisky Liqueur - Plum Malt Liqueur (35% abv)

(Notes by Julia Nourney, sept. 2017)

The range of malt-whiskey-based liqueurs will continue cheerfully in Appenzell. After Edition “Marwees – Malt & Cream” and “Apricot Malt Liqueur”,- now a season matching whisky based plum liqueur was bottled.

This liqueur is surprisinlgy “un-sweet”, but very fruity and quite strong overall. It does not correspond to the image one usually has of liqueurs, which are often almost sticky and rather weak over all.

Color: red brown copper with reddish reflections

Nose: the fruit acid with a lot of typical plum aromas is in the foreground, it shows little sweetness in the nose, soft spicy notes with a little clove and a bit of cinnamon round up the smell in a complex way, in the background is some butter and floor wax

Palate: again a lot of fruit acidity with typical plum notes, but now also cherry and some almond, again spicy notes as in clove and cinnamon, the restrained sweetness comes late and tastes like dried fruit, raisins and dried prunes. The malt whiskey is not really clearly visible, the taste of the liqueur, however, does not entirely correspond to that of a pure plum schnapps, the difference is therefore attributable to the malt distillate.

Finish: Intense dried fruits such as plum and cherry, but still little sweetness, but again fruit acid and almonds

Note: The addition of an ice cube brings refreshment, initially a little more fruit and sweetness, but it doesn’t take the liqueurs intensity. On the contrary, the spicy notes become even stronger and develop some tobacco later.

If you are keen to experiment, you should try this liqueur with an average sugar dose (and possibly some cream) in an espresso.

Ingredients: Säntis Malt Whisky (matured in beer barrels), sugar, natural plum

Alcohol content: 35% abv.

Availability: unlimitied, in 20cl & 50cl bottles