I have two plum brandy samples on my desk today... Both are distilled at Mosby Winery in Buellton, California which is founded by Bill Mosby in 1977. Although they focus on wine making and mainly on Italian grape varieties they do also have a very small distilling operation releasing brandies, eau de vies and grappas from time to time.
Mosby Native Pacific Plum Brandy (41.0%): It is an unaged brandy distilled from wild California plums.
Color: Clear with thin, fast but oily legs.
Nose: Very perfumy... Damson plum marmalade, creme de cassis and black cherry flavored sparkling water. Meyer lemons and stone fruits other than plums: Mostly white peaches and nectarines.
Palate: Sweet but not syrupy with a rather thin mouthfeel... Plum tart, peaches and apricots. Cream puffs and lavender. Easy drinking and clean.
Finish: Medium with nice white pepper and ground coriander notes.
Overall: Pretty enjoyable distillate for my two cents. I can totally see myself sipping this on a summer afternoon with a shot of espresso. I really liked it.
Price: $75
86/100
Mosby Kosher Plum Brandy - Slivovitz (43.0%): This one is unaged as well but distilled exclusively from damson plums harvested from a small orchard in San Benito County, California under the supervision of Rabbi Yonah Bookstein who approved its Kosher certification.
Mosby Kosher Plum Brandy - Slivovitz (43.0%): This one is unaged as well but distilled exclusively from damson plums harvested from a small orchard in San Benito County, California under the supervision of Rabbi Yonah Bookstein who approved its Kosher certification.
Color: Clear with tiny teardrops all around the glass which are very persistent to form legs. Quite a different look than the first one.
Nose: This is a way more extrovert nose again compared the first brandy. It's jammy, thick and sweeter. Black currant jam, plum compote and blueberries. Peach cobbler and raspberry iced tea.
Palate: Sweeter, floral and a little soapy... Lavender and hyacinths. Candied coriander seeds, spearmint Altoids and menthol.
Finish: Long with black pepper and a little alcohol burn.
Overall: Although the nose was quite exciting the palate was a little too sweet for my liking. It would be nice as a digestif but I if I had to choose one I would go for the Native Pacific Plum Brandy.
Price: $55
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