Plum water
Plum brandy , also known as plum brandy or plum brandy , is a fruit brandy that is obtained by distilling fermented plums .
General
In Germany, the production of plum water is primarily at home in the Allgäu and Baden-Württemberg . Corresponding brandies are also produced in Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol and Alsace-Lorraine. The production of plum water serves to preserve meadow orchards , as overproduction, windfalls and other fruit that are otherwise not marketable can be used sensibly. Brandies made from wild plums are regional specialties. Fruits such as sloe or zibarte are usually processed here. Plum brandy is served at room temperature or slightly chilled as a digestif after a meal.
Manufacturing
Maceration
To make the mash, plums are wrapped in barrels and fermented in the absence of air. The fruit used is primarily responsible for the quality, but also the care taken in mashing and distilling . Fully ripe, but not rotten or moldy fruits are preferred. The fermentation takes place spontaneously by wild yeasts that are naturally present in fruit, or by addition of pure yeast . The sugar contained in the fruit is converted into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The mash remains in the barrels for several weeks to months before distillation takes place. The addition of sugar and flavorings to the mash, but also to the end product, is prohibited by law. The distiller must register the type and quantity of the mash with customs at the compensation distillery before distilling and pay the corresponding alcohol tax. Removing the stones increases the yield and at the same time reduces the proportion of cyanide in the end product, but on the other hand the stones also give off flavoring substances. In industrial production, hydrocyanic acid separators ("Cyanurex") are used to reduce the cyanide content.
distillation
Since plum water is relatively easy to make, it is also often made in small home distilleries . Plum brandy, like most fruit brandies, is usually distilled twice. In the first pass, the raw spirit, which reaches an alcohol content of approx. 20% vol. Or more, is obtained by relatively rapid distillation of the mash as a preliminary product. The raw spirit comes back into the cleaned still. With fine distillation , the second round, you work much more carefully and more slowly and separate the forerun and aftermath . The resulting fine brandy can reach 70 - 80% vol. Or more. With high-quality products, the aim of the distillation is not an alcohol that is as pure as possible, but a product that brings out the specific fruit aromas and at the same time is freed from undesirable accompanying substances.
As an alternative to double distillation, simple distillation in combination with a distillation column is also possible . This process is preferred in industrial production because it can also be operated continuously, but it is also used in small distilleries.
storage
The finished water-clear and colorless fine brandy is then matured in glass balloons or in tanks. The initial sharpness of the plum brandy is slowly reduced by storage. Depending on the quality, plum water may be stored for many years before it is put on the market. There is no legal regulation on storage duration, it remains the responsibility of the distillery. In the case of contract distilleries, the client takes care of the storage himself. Lately, fruit brandies that have been stored in wooden barrels have also come into circulation. The finished brandy is diluted to drinking strength with water that is as free of lime as possible before or after storage and filtered one last time before it is put on the market. The finished plum water usually has an alcohol content of 40 to 45 percent by volume.