The first dram I taste is TONOW Pommeau No. 18
The first thing I notice is the beautiful golden slightly reddish-brown chestnut color, which shines beautifully golden in the sun. The scent is very clear as I pour into the glass. The whole living room fills with the scent of fresh sweet apples. When I stick my nose in the glass, I am hit by a rich scent of candied apples. There are scents of sweet apple juice, baked apples, plums, dried apricot, heather honey and a hint of vanilla. A very appealing aroma. The taste, like the aroma, is intense with sweet apples, apple cake, stewed plums, dried apricot and galia melon. But there is also a fresh hint of acidity on the palate, like a slightly dry and fruity white wine. TONOW Pommeau No. 18 is a version of the famous apple spirit from France that combines the strength of Eau de Vie with the sweetness of apple juice. The pommeau has been aged in oak barrels to mature the flavors and give the pommeau a nice light creamy mouthfeel. It's a really nice glass despite only being bottled at 20% alcohol. The distillery has also produced a likør on Danish paradise apples, which received bronze at the Berlin International Spirits Competition 2022 with 90 points.
The next apple I sink my teeth into is TONOW Eau de Vie Santana 42%
As the name reveals, it is an Eau de Vie produced from Danish Santana apples, which is a medium-sized juicy and crisp apple with a red cheek and sweet taste, which is also suitable for apple allergy sufferers. A clear Eau de Vie. The scent. Yes, it's probably not surprising apples. But here it's less sweet. A little more fresh and vinous. A lovely fragrance that also has mild notes of honeydew melon and grapes. The taste is fresh and slightly spicy. Of course, the apples come through clearly. But there's more character to the spirit, which doesn't come across as prickly. There is a dry touch on the aftertaste. A nice glass if you find the classic schnapps too sharp and don't like the taste of cumin.
Now we come to a brandy TONOW Brandy Santana 42%
And when we talk about brandy, that means it has to be barrel-aged. It is not described how long this Eau de Vie has been in the barrel. However, it is a requirement to be called brandy that the apple brandy has been in the barrel for at least six months. On their website, they write that the products are aged between 6 to 12 months. It depends on the season, climate and when you think it's ready to be taken out of the barrel and bottled. The color also reveals that it has a warm grain-yellow golden imprint from the barrel. The distillery uses new oak barrels, made from oak planted in the Black Forest in southern Germany by Napoleon.
The Black Forest is close to the French border and right next to the famous Alsace wine region. They have chosen to use new barrels so that the TONOW Brandy is not affected by the taste of other products in used barrels. You can immediately sense that there is a barrel influence on this Brandy. Aroma of apple and a dry touch of oak. Very finely balanced. After some time in the glass to open up, the apples come out more on the nose. This is more "adult schnapps". The taste is nice and dry, spicy and natural on the apple flavor. Neither too sweet nor too dry. Just sharp, spicy and piquant enough to make a great entry on the great Danish cold table. TONOW Brandy Santana 42% won silver at the Berlin International Spirits Competition 2022 with 92 points.
The next dram is one I've been particularly looking forward to. It is TONOW Eau de Vie, Bog Oak 42%
In other words, an Eau de Vie that has been given a bit of a cask. But not quite enough to be called Brandy. This Eau de Vie has been aged for a short time in bog oak. Bog oak is from when most of the area was covered in oak. It is 3000-6000 years (or older) oak that has survived in the bogs and gives a very special flavor to the apple brandy. The wine has been finished in a cask to round out the flavor. The color is champagne. Beautifully clear and bright. There is a more restrained cask character on the nose. Apples, grapes, melon and a hint of citrus are predominant on the nose. A mild, different and delightful fragrance. The taste, like the aroma, is less barrel-heavy than the previous Brandy. There are apples, citrus, green grapes and spicy barrel. This Eau de Vie is the least sweet and most complex of the ones I've tasted in this series. Probably not a beginner's apple schnapps. But if you're an experienced schnapps drinker and you're not afraid of spice, dryness and complexity, then this is the one for you. It is for me! The aftertaste lingers for a while and allows you to enjoy this lovely glass even longer.
Everything has an end and so does this apple brandy/Eau de Vie tasting. It has been a great pleasure to taste the lovely Danish products, which are made with good ingredients and good craftsmanship.
The last one I taste is TONOW Snaps Porse 40%
The distillery has so far made two schnapps. One with walnut and this one with leek. Both schnapps are aged in oak barrels to give them a soft rounding. Even though it's not an Eau de Vie but a porcelain schnapps, the base product is still a spirit made from apples from the local orchards near Ringkøbing. The color is light grain yellow. The aroma is very intense with a hint of porc. It is floral, herbal and perfumed in the most delicious way. There is a touch of floral shampoo and I know that sounds silly or strange. But it smells really good and just right. The taste is a mix of something floral, something herbal and something mildly spicy. The taste is slightly sweet. There is an oily fatness to the schnapps, which is very full-bodied in taste and easy to drink. You can serve this Porsesnaps to someone who absolutely does not like the taste of the classic commensnaps.
So if you need to try something other than the classic schnapps on the lunch table, then my warmest recommendation is
TONOW's products. Most of them are available in 5 cl. bottles as well as 20 cl. bottles and 50 cl. bottles.
Enjoy and enjoy.
