Olde Tyme Spirits Tasting Notes
All photos on this page are taken from OldeTymeSpirits.com!
These are my tasting notes from the podcast with Will Persons at Olde Tyme Spirits (listen here!) - I encourage you to try their stuff, it’s really something different, new, and exciting. Especially for a Jewish kid from New York, apple spirits - let alone apple whiskey - and slivovitz are both close to my heart, and I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed doing this!
Olde Tyme Spirits Irish Style Apple Whiskey (Batch CN)
Aged ~12M
94 Proof (47% ABV)
Eye: Pale apple juice. Thin rims, beady droplet legs.
Nose: Fresh gala and golden apples, a bit of orchard vegetation. Riesling in the nose with a hint of proof. Candied apple develops as the nose grows sweeter.
Palate: Bracing sweet/acid hit up front wakes the palate immediately, like apple Nerd candies. Fresh pressed apple juice, some oak pepperiness that snakes around the tongue. Oak turns creamy on the chew. Candy apples again start to appear. Mouthfeel is all creamy oak with touches of clove and cinnamon stick - light yet coating.
Finish: Green apple Jolly Ranchers and saltwater taffy, a sweetshop of apple delights.
Overall: My first experience with apple whiskey, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s not a brandy - while it’s clearly apple-led, there is definitely something that makes it different and does push me towards the whiskey camp while not sitting entirely in either.
Rating: 7.3
Olde Tyme Spirits Irish Style Apple Whiskey (Limited Batch)
Aged ~14M (this was a limited batch that was accidentally left a bit longer in the oak)
90 Proof (45% ABV)
Eye: Golden apple juice. Thin rim, beady legs.
Nose: More intense than the CN batch - more spices, though not in a cider-way. Full-bodied nose, though still an element of apple candies and taffies.
Palate: More oaky right up front - the additional two months do make a more significant difference in the oak profile than I expected, especially with increased creaminess. Peppercorns and cloves dance around my palate. Slightly drying, but the drying effect intensifies the apple. Baked apple pie with caramelized edges. Mouthfeel is astringent and creamy and spiced while never veering close to being too spicy.
Finish: Creamy, with oak and cider vying for control. Medium-length and coating.
Overall: I so wish I could have a whole bottle (or three) of this. It’s a Goldilocks-type batch - it’s apple without being juice; it’s cider without being too spicy; it’s oaky without being too spicy or dry and while being creamy; and the apple pie creaminess and caramelization is sweet and layered without being confectionary. Unique and delicious.
Rating: 8.2
Olde Tyme Spirits Plum Slivovitz
Aged approximately 1 month in oak
90 Proof (45% ABV)
Eye: The slightest hue - not vodka clear, just a touch of oak. Thin rims, droplets and legs around the glass.
Nose: Fresh white plum flesh. No heat on the nose, barest hint of oak spice.
Palate: The bit of oak comes first and gives a lovely, lightly spiced body for the plum to build on top of. The plum flavor remains fresh and fleshy. Mouthfeel is thin-to-medium, oak spice lingers on the palate.
Finish: Fresh plums continue the party with a little clove sugar. Medium-length, flavor stays clean and fresh the whole way. Creamy custard feeling grows towards the end.
Overall: Call it a brandy, an eau-de-vie, a fruit spirit, the most important part comes through: the plum. It’s fresh and clean the whole way, with the touch of oak barrel adding body and a little spice. Quite good.
Rating: 7.6
Olde Tyme Spirits Peach Rakia
Unaged Spirt Distilled from Peaches
90 Proof (45% ABV)
Eye: Perfectly clear. Very thin rims with droplets dotting the glass.
Nose: Surprisingly, not much ethanol up front. Peach puree and nectarine skins. Nose remains gentle as it opens, with fresh peaches becoming fresher and clearer.
Palate: There’s a bit more heat here, but it’s mild with peach nectar quickly rolling in to mellow it out. Slightly effervescent mouthfeel reminds me of a Bellini - coating yet light.
Finish: The Bellini goes from a thought to a reality, with a medium-length and smooth finish.
Overall: For me, this was a bit rawer than the Slivovitz (not surprising given the oak touch the latter got), but it’s still fresh and smooth - a buy for Bellini lovers everywhere.
Rating: 7.1
Final thoughts:
Tasting through this flight with Will was a joy. In four pours, I got exposed to a completely new category of whiskey, brought our heritages together through Slivovitz, and tried another new category in Rakia. If you take one thing away from these notes and the podcast, I truly urge you to try try try. Like it, hate it, but you don’t know until you try it. And there’s nothing more exciting than trying something new.
