A New Apricot Eau de Vie Tasting

In 2020 I did a big apricot eau de vie bling tasting. So, it felt like the time was right for an update. This time I tried twelve different eau de vies. However, it was not a blind tasting this time, but nevertheless the results were interesting.

As always, the results presented here are purely subjective and reflect only my personal perceptions. Although shown differently in the pictures, I used the same glass for reviewing all the eau de vies. Here can you find the results from 2020.

Spiritus Rex Marille Marquess

I absolutely love the eau de vies from Matthias Sievert. The Marille Marquess therefore shows typical apricot notes with a distinctive ‘wine-like’ characteristic. You can also find some black pepper and grassy notes in the taste. It is a really good apricot eau de vie.

Naturbrennerei Engel Marille

The interesting thing about the Engel Marille eau de vie is that my tasting notes differ a lot from the first time I tried it. While it was great the first time, now the eau de vie managed to be the second best in the tasting! Manuel told me that he learned the perfect time to harvest his apricots from the ‘Wachau’ region in Austria from the late Mr. Rochelt.

Petite Grain Abricot

After discovering the Distillerie du Petit Grain’s Abricot eau de vie, I really had to hunt it down. As it turns out, due to the climate change the distillery cannot get high-quality apricots anymore. In comparison, the eau de vie had more floral notes, reminding me of rose petals. At the same time, the eau de vie did take quite a while to open up its flavours. Yet, when it did, the spirit showed delicate apricot flavours.

Reisetbauer Rosenmarille

I am a big fan of Hans Reisetbauer’s spirits, especially his apricot eau de vie. However, there also is a limited edition from just a single apricot variety. Obviously, I had to try it! I do not know if the name steered me in the direction, but the Rosenmarille really tastes of roses. You can find an intensely perfumed aroma with certain fresh apricot characteristics. All in all, the eau de vie managed to win the third place in this tasting.

Zott Aprikose

Dr. Katharina Zott distils exceptional eau de vies from their own fruits (and some organic citrus varieties). You definitely notice that the apricots used here are somehow different. It might also be a bit unfair to compare it to the other spirits made from fruits coming from world-renown growing regions. All in all, the Zott eau de vie takes quite a while to open up its apricot flavours. Additionally, you can taste a lot of overripe fruits with notes reminiscent of meadow orchard apples.

Rochelt Wachauer Marille

Of course, the handblown fancy bottle, the heavy stopper and the wooden box help to impress with the Rochelt Wachauer Marille. However, with its lavish apricot notes and intense complexity, I recognize this eau de vie even in a blind tasting! This might not only be the best apricot eau de vie I have tried so far, but simply the best eau de vie…

Dambachler Edelbrand Marille

The Dambachler Edelbrand Marille uses apricots from the Wein Viertel or the Wachau region in Austria. I very much enjoyed the typical apricot flavour paired with some notes reminiscent of wine. You also get some floral and grassy notes in the taste.

Tinnauer Marillen-Brand Reserve

Besides the Rochelt, the Tinnauer Marillen-Brand Reserve is the only overproof eau de vie in this tasting. This means that you get the full apricot taste from the Kittsee region in Austria. However, you also notice the stronger ABV with some menthol notes. The eau de vie also needs more time to develop a its apricot flavour. In the end you are rewarded with some overripe fruit notes, reminding me of apples, too.

A. Diehl Aprikose

The Aprikose eau die vie from the renown vineyard A. Diehl shows a unique pepper note, present both in the aroma and the flavour. Yet, after a while more typical apricot notes develop. In the end, also some plums appear.

Birkenhof Exclusive Marillenbrand

The Birkenhof Marillenbrand won a gold medal at the Craft Spirits Awards 2023. It starts with straight-up apricot and apricot jam notes. Furthermore, you will find some rose petal flavours and a distinct sweetness. The taste is very homogeneous with few peaks of flavour.

Gutemann Aprikose

For his Gutemann Aprikose Walter Gutemann uses apricots from South Tyrol. The eau de vie delivers clear apricot flavours with some notes reminding me of apricot yoghurt. Additionally, there are some dried apricot as well as some vegetal tastes. Considering the value-for-money the Gutemann Aprikose had the best ratio in the tasting.

Morand Abricot Coeur

It took some time to procure this eau de vie, because a friend of mine imported it from Switzerland. For their Morand Abricot Coeur eau de vie Morand uses 20 kg of fruit per litre. This results in a rather complex apricot taste. Besides the typical apricot jam note, you can also discover cooked apricots, spices and hints reminiscent of raspberries.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. Some eau de vies were provided by the producers.