Tonow Vesterhavsmost Danish Rød Gråsten Eau de Vie 50 cl 42%

There is a scent most Danes can name with their eyes shut: a Gravenstein apple just cut in half. Rød Gråsten is the version whose skin is striped red the whole way round. In this bottle that scent has been pulled out of the fruit and set at 42%.

The expert's description

Tonow Vesterhavsmost Danish Rød Gråsten Eau de Vie 50 cl 42% is a Danish Eau de Vie distilled from the Rød Gråsten apple, with no cask maturation, and bottled at 42%.

Rød Gråsten is not a new variety but a mutation. Gråsten mutates readily, and in Lübeck a fruit grower spotted a branch on a Gråsten tree bearing fruit of a far deeper colour. Grafting wood from that single branch went on sale in 1854 as Rother Gravensteiner. The fruit is the same as yellow Gråsten, but the skin is covered in red stripes over a yellow ground.

The flesh is crisp and extremely juicy, the flavour sweet-tart, and the aroma is that powerful, spiced Gråsten scent few other varieties can match. How strongly it comes through depends on the soil, on when the fruit is picked and on how long it is allowed to rest. That aroma is precisely why the variety takes so well to distillation.

The apples come from TONOW Distillery's own orchard in West Jutland, where sea air off the North Sea moves across the rows. Fermentation, distillation and bottling all happen on the farm, and Rød Gråsten is run as a single variety with no other apples in the still. The result is a clear spirit in which the variety's spiced side is allowed forward instead of drowning in fruit sweetness.

Tasting notes

Nose

The Gråsten aroma announces itself immediately, spiced and faintly sweet, like a bowl of grated apple that has stood for a quarter of an hour. Beneath it lies something soft and velvety, and the alcohol registers as barely a whisper.

Palate

Mild and sweet on entry, rounder than most apple spirits. The variety's spice arrives halfway through, somewhere between cinnamon and clove without either having been added, and the juiciness of the fruit reads as pure body.

Finish

Soft and sweet, yet never sticky. The spice hangs on longest, and at the very end a dry note of apple skin appears.

Specifications

Name: Tonow Vesterhavsmost Danish Rød Gråsten Eau de Vie 50 cl 42%
Distillery: TONOW Distillery
Producer: Vesterhavsmost
Region/Country: West Jutland, Denmark
Type: Danish Eau de Vie from the Rød Gråsten apple
ABV: 42%
Size: 50 CL
EAN no.: 5714962002013
Serving suggestion: Lightly chilled in a tulip-shaped glass

Flavour profile

Sweet · Spiced · Juicy · Gentle · Apple-aromatic

Did you know?

The Gråsten apple was voted Denmark's national apple in 2005, though where the variety originally came from has never been settled. Gråsten Castle in southern Jutland is the Danish claim, while other sources point south towards South Tyrol.

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Frequently asked questions about Tonow Vesterhavsmost Danish Rød Gråsten Eau de Vie 50 cl 42%

What is the difference between Rød Gråsten and yellow Gråsten?

The skin, and not a great deal else. Rød Gråsten arose as a natural mutation of the yellow one, where fruit on a single branch took on far more red colour. The flesh, the juice and the spiced aroma are essentially the same, so the difference is one of looks rather than flavour.

What makes this bottle worth seeking out?

Everyone knows the variety, yet almost nobody distils it on its own. Rød Gråsten is also among the apples with the most aroma to give, and here it comes from the distillery's own orchard and goes through the still with no other fruit alongside it.

Does the spirit taste like a Gravenstein apple?

The aroma is unmistakably there, but the overall picture differs. You recognise the smell of grated Gråsten straight away, while the fruit's acidity is largely gone, since it stays behind during distillation. What remains is the spice and a soft sweetness.

What time of year does it suit best?

Autumn and winter. Gråsten is a late-summer apple, and its spiced scent sits close to what you associate with apple fritters, spiced biscuits and baked apples. It also works as the last glass of a long Christmas lunch, where it is lighter on its feet than a dark aquavit or a barrel-aged grape distillate from the Cognac Houses and Distilleries.

What food does it go with?

Classic Danish autumn cooking. Roast pork with crackling, apple with fried bacon, or pork roast with red cabbage all meet it well, because apple aroma already belongs on the plate. For cheese, choose something mild, since a forceful blue will run straight over that soft sweetness.

What difference does it make that the apples grow close to the North Sea?

The coast brings cooler nights and a longer ripening period. The fruit gets more time to build acidity and aroma before picking, while salt air and constant wind keep fungal pressure down in the orchard. It is one of the reasons Vesterhavsmost settled exactly there.

Can it be used in a drink?

Yes, but give it room. It performs best in short, clear drinks where the apple scent is not shouted down, for instance with lemon and a touch of syrup, or lengthened with chilled apple juice and a twist of lemon peel. Heavy bitters and sugary mixers simply flatten the aroma.