On the shores of the Sea of Marmara, in the old wine country of Thrace, the table gets laid long before anyone touches the bottle. White cheese, melon, a few plates of meze. Then the Raki arrives, clear as water, and only turns milky white once cold water hits it.
Expert description
Tekirdağ Rakısı Classic is a Turkish Raki made from a spirit of 100% fresh grapes and aniseed, bottled at 45%.
Raki is Turkey's national drink, and Tekirdağ is one of its best-known brands. The name comes from the city of Tekirdağ on the Marmara coast, in one of the country's older wine regions. The brand launched in 2000 and now belongs to Mey İçki, which has been owned by Diageo since 2011. Tekirdağ has a house flavour of its own, often credited to the artesian water from Çorlu.
It starts with suma, a clean grape distillate made from fresh grapes. That goes back into traditional copper alembic stills together with aniseed, and the result is bottled at 45%. Plenty of Raki brands lean on raisins, but this one stays with fresh grapes throughout, and you taste it: more fruit and more freshness behind the aniseed. Classic is the straightforward bottle in the Tekirdağ range, built to be drunk with food.
Raki is rarely drunk neat. The tradition is to mix it with cold water, which turns it milky white, and to put it on the table with meze, fish and white cheese.
Tasting notes
Nose
Freshly crushed aniseed leads, light and fragrant, with a floral hint of grape sweetness. No sharp alcohol on the nose.
Palate
Soft and clean in the mouth. Aniseed takes up most of the space, but behind it sit fresh grape and a sweetness like white sugar. The body is medium, and a crisp acidity keeps things alert. With water it turns silkier and the aniseed steps back a little.
Finish
Fresh and clean. The aniseed lingers, with a calm grape sweetness following and no peppery bite.
Specifications
Name: Tekirdağ Rakısı Classic
Distillery: Mey İçki
Region/Country: Turkey
Type: Turkish Raki
ABV: 45%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Suma from fresh grapes, redistilled with aniseed in copper alembic stills
Edition: Classic
Serving suggestion: Ice cold, with cold water on the side, alongside meze, white cheese and melon
Flavour profile
Aniseed · Fresh · Grapey · Soft
Did you know?
In Turkey the milky mixture is called aslan sütü, lion's milk. The colour appears because the aniseed oils cannot stay dissolved once water is added. It is also why you pour the water first and add ice afterwards.
Listen to our podcast:
