In 1863
America was in the midst of the Civil War. Meanwhile in Ukraine, the Shustov
distillery in Odessa was built and was starting to make brandy. Shustov is still
the largest brandy distillery in Europe, employing 350 people, with the
potential to produce up to 30 million liters annually. That might seem like a
lot of brandy but Ukrainians have a palate and history with it, consuming about
50,000 cases annually. The grapes used for Odessa brandy are grown in the Odessa
region including Ugni Blanc (typical of Cognac), Chardonnay, and Sauvignon
Blanc, grown right on their property.
I visited
with Eduard Gorodetskyi, the CEO of the Odessa Brandy a few months back, whose brandy
is available in the U.S. and distributed by Global Spirits. “We cannot compete
against the market share held by the large Cognac houses of France but we
can compete on quality and taste,” he tells me. In order to compete they
distill 5% of the wine on the lees to create a silkier texture.
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| Eduard Gorodetskyi |
Ukrainian law
requires three years minimum aging, and they use oak from France, Ukraine and
Hungary. Typically they age 15,000 barrels in seven locations with their oldest
barrels dating to 1966. They also make limited series production brandies
strictly for the Ukraine including a stunningly good 37-year aged brandy, among
many others with limited availability in just Ukraine and/or the EU. The nose of
Odessa brandy is initially one of caramel and butterscotch, charred wood, vanilla,
cedar, and sugared almonds. On the palate light spice and floral notes abound with
butter toffee and brown sugar on the back notes. This is not a complex aged
Brandy but considering the price this is very enjoyable, preferably neat.
ORIGIN: Odessa, Ukraine
PRICE: $10/ 750ML
ALCOHOL: 40%
BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE: 90
POINTS
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| A 1909 Shustov Brandy ad in the local Ukraine newspaper |
Delicious!
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