Capreolus Archives - The Distillates

Tasting Notes by Brand: Capreolus

Capreolus Apple Eau de Vie “1000 Trees” 2019 Harvest 43%

Nose: Brilliant and pure essence of all the apples, gorgeous. The depth and breadth of the apple essence is such that I can taste and feel the texture of an apple slice in my mouth. Dried apple rings, with the tiniest dusting of cinnamon. Apple turnover. Raspberry leaves. Moss growing on apple bark? , elegant sweetness that isn’t cloying or cheap.

Palate: Pink peppercorn, green chillies, crab apple, tarragon.

Rating: 7 (Ryan) 6 (Shane) / 10 – amazing nose, palate a bit too sharp for me. Ryan: I can’t recall having had such a beautiful and pure expression that gets to the heart of what makes apples such a delightful and beautiful fruit in eau de vie until this.

Capreolus Quince Eau de Vie 2019 43%

Nose: Apricot stone, Loquat, Grapefruit peel, peach black tea. Wow, way different from Rochelt’s Quince. Nice kinda citrusy pop here. Creamy.

Palate: Dusty white pepper, an overstepped white citrus tea that had ice cubes which then overwatered it., tart note I can’t place, licking an envelope

Rating: 6 (Ryan) 5 (Shane) / 10 – one of the most amazing noses, but palate is both thin and sharp.

Capreolus Perry Pear Eau de Vie (var – Helen’s Early) 2021 43%

Nose: Blackberry brambles, pear skin, sitting under a weeping willow, basil, ivy

Palate: Intense tannins, green earthy, unripe blackberry, more medicinal and herbal.

Rating: 5 / 10 – aggressive and tart, which I like but it’s too much. But blended with the Brandy varietal was stunning.

Capreolus Perry Pear Eau de Vie (var – Brandy) 2021 43%

Nose: Caramel, jamon fat, french onion dip (? haha), movie theater popcorn–extra butter, rhubarb

Palate: Tangerine, tarragon, mmm you get that nice flavor/mouth feel of pear skin, camphor, n.

Rating: 7 / 10 – sweet and fatty and delicious.

Capreolus Damson Eau de Vie 2020 43%

Nose: Omg this smells incredible. end of bloom roses, subtle strawberry/raspberry notes, fiberglass cloth, orchid moss. There is a fruit intensity that borders on the artificial you’d find in candy (gushers, jolly ranchers).

Palate: Glycerine hand soap, with a stone fruit and slight citrus peel finish…pine-sole, the mouth feel is interesting, more waxy and feels like you pick up on some of that bloom mentioned

Rating: 5 / 10 – the soapiness is just hard for me.

Capreolus Damson Eau de Vie 2020 53%

Nose: This smells more like “plum” than the first. Very perfumey. Honey blossom and carnations. Almost more of a green house vibe here, get some tomato vine.

Palate: Same for mouthfeel here as above. That intense level of perfume comes through here too. Maybe tobacco, bergamot, black tea?

Rating: 7 / 10 – I like the fruit that pops, and the glycerine eases at this abv.

Ryan

Capreolus Raspberry Eau de Vie 2021 43%

Nose: Wow, just wow. This takes me back to my childhood, my brother and I filling our little baskets with fresh raspberries from the bush in our backyard and eating them to the point of being sick. Touch of nuttyness and leaf notes. Poppy seeds.

Palate: An ode to the raspberry, hints of ginger spice.

Rating: 8 / 10 – What an unbelievable aroma. And a beautiful distilled palate. 33KG of fruit to make 1L.

Shane

Capreolus Black Currant EDV 2019 43%

Nose: I didn’t expect the first draw to take me to childhood. We had a California pepper tree on the back of my parents’ orchard. Beautiful, but a giant pain in the ass given my job to mow and trim. Its fern-like branches would hang down, heavy with the bright pink berries. A sweet spicy aroma would drift into the house when the warm santa ana winds would blow. The aroma is both brightly cloying and yet earthy. Juicy currants and sun ripened blackberries. Wet forest moss.

Palate: Incredibly elegant. Bright pops of cassis on the tongue and then a slow faaaaade … nope still going. Each time I open my mouth to breathe the flavors surge once again. Warm with a touch of spicy, the pepperiness coming through on a bigger draw. Reminiscent of a stick tea I fell in love with many years ago that I have not been able to source or name to my great chagrin.

Rating: 7 / 10 – I love that it is so perfectly clear that at first Julie didn’t believe there was anything in the glass. I have a Nusbaumer cassis cordial I bought Julie a few weeks ago and poured a side-by-side. While they share DNA, these could not be more different approaches to the same fruit. Capreolus is an elegant perfume. Nusbaumer a dessert lolly, which my wife mixes with champagne to a fabulous result. I would easily reach for the EDV and yes, I kinda wish I could try it at 48% to see what happens, but only out of curiosity.