No 195 Ukrainian rowan

The red, bitter-tasting fruits of the mountain ash, also known as rowan berries, are traditionally considered poisonous, but this must be considered an exaggeration. Due to the parasorbic acid, which is also responsible for the bitterness, their raw fruits are not very edible and can cause digestive problems. During cooking, the parasorbic acid hydrolyzes to form sorbic acid, a well-known and well-tolerated food preservative. Consequently, the use of the berries for jams or as a puree has a tradition that is just as long as that of distilling into delicate brandies. Botanically, it is correct that they are not berries, but apple fruits (i.e. pome fruit), which is easy to see if you take a closer look at the small red fruits as a whole and in cross section. The name of the mountain ash is not derived from the wild pig, "boar" goes back to "but" in the sense of "wrong", so it is a "false ash" because its leaves are similar to those of the ash tree. It is widespread throughout Europe and tolerates the harsh climate of the low mountain ranges excellently. Our organic rowan berries were collected wild in the Ukrainian Carpathians, also known as "Forest Carpathians". From them we have made a wonderful brandy "through maceration and distillation" from five parts fruit and one part alcohol. Important for the aroma are, among other things, fruit acids but also essential oils, which emerge in our brandy through the typical delicate marzipan notes accompanied by light chocolate notes in the finish. A must for pure enjoyment.