Nose:  I first tried this on a picnic table littered with dozens of bottles. Nicolas had brought one of the most elegant pears from Heibl I have tried in years. And then Aurelian plunked one of these on the table. “I was only able to get a small bonbone” he said, 20 some odd bottles, but tell me what you think. In a world of eau-de-elegance, this is the fucking Chuck Norris of Poire Williams. Insane. Pear skins dominate, with a huge juicy nose, fresh and crisp, then towards the end a hint of ripeness. It needs resting in glass, with a zap of sharpness that vanishes about 5 minutes in. The nose just gets better with time. Empty glass shines.

Palate: An explosion of flavor. And yet with all its intensity, its not funky, its not estery, its not overwhelming. Its full metal pear. Juicy, crunchy, skins and all, melting in my mouth. The alcohol is intense and yet doesn’t overwhelm the flavor. But you have to be comfortable with a healthy burn. Like eating spicy chinese. Water rounds out the flavor, but somehow the alcohol burns a touch with water in a way I didn’t expect.

Rating: 8 / 10 – I’ve poured it three times tonight. And I’m debating asking Aurelien to set another aside. Nearly all the classic eau de vie I have really needs to be the first pour in a lineup. This is the exception. It can easily go last in a heavyweight round and come out swinging. The ABV won’t be for everyone, but it’s perfect for me tonight. I could see dropping this to a 7 if I weren’t a high proof fan.