Spirits Quickie: Villa Yambol Yambolska Grape Brandy Rakia

August is The Fifth Annual Bulgarian Wine Month thanks to BulgarianWine.com! 

This rakia is one of the most popular products by Villa Yambol, a Bulgarian winery that I've reviewed plenty of wines from, and it's made from the indigenous grapes Red Misket, Rkatsiteli and Dimyat. It's a little rough and simplistic (grapes and toffee) so it's more of a shooter or blender than a sip-and-savor, but honestly it is pretty much what it's supposed to be. For $22 you get a 1 liter bottle of brandy to get you where you want to go on the intoxication scale without getting fancy or expensive. Hell yeah, there's nothing wrong with that! I found that putting it on the rocks in a tumbler cuts down on the roughness and brings out a bit of sweetness, so I've been enjoying it quite a bit that way.

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Spirits Quickie: Pomorie Muskatova Grape Brandy Rakia

August is The Fifth Annual Bulgarian Wine Month thanks to BulgarianWine.com! 

Aaaah yes! Now we're talking! I've got some Rakia, AKA Bulgarian brandy, right here in front of me... so I've got to be careful because I looooooooove brandy. I don't know if you know this about me but I'm a total lightweight. Spirits will knock me right on my ass. That's probably why I'm a wine guy with an occasional beer hobby. I do believe that this rakia is not just brandy but it's also a grappa, which is a brandy distilled from the must/waste left over from making wine.

So this one is made from the Muscat grape. There's notes of baked apple, dried apricot, vanilla, and other baking spices. It's medium bodied, has a long lasting finish that coats your entire mouth with a thick layer of baked apples and a fiery peppery kick, that then delivers a comforting warmth to your belly. It performs better sipping neat than on the rocks, and for $23 it's a great deal for the quality that you get. If you're interested in trying it yourself than head on over to BulgarianWine.com!

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Distill Wars Episode VII: Rakia Rumble

It's the Fourth Annual Bulgarian Wine Month thanks to BulgarianWine.com! You can read all of the reviews from the first year (2015), the second year (2016), the third year (2017), and this year (2018) by following those links.

To read about the fascinating history of Bulgarian wine, check out Bulgaria - Part 1: Three-Thousand Years of Wine History. To learn about the grapes, wine regions and Bulgarian wine's place in the market, read Part 2: The Current State of Bulgarian Wine. And if you'd like to see what Bulgaria's national drink is all about, find out in Part 3: Invincibility of Rakia.

The last Distill Wars was in November of 2017 so we're due for another one, and it just so happens that that I've got some of that rakia (Bulgarian brandy) from BulgarianWine.com to turn myself into an unstoppable and fearless warrior!

All three are produced by Burgas 63, come in 375ml bottles, have a 40% ABV, and will cost you $14. Unfortunately there's not a lot of information available on these three contestants, which I guess is normal for rakia. Why is Pearl called Pearl? I dunno, but I know it's made from Muscat Otonnel and Hamburg Misket and spent three years in barrels. It appears the Barrel Aged is just Pearl that spent five years in barrels instead of three. The Traminer is obviously made from Traminer. But that's all I really know! So ring the bell and let's get it on!

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Bulgaria - Part 3: Invincibility of Rakia

"Sofia was defended by tough men with moustaches, who drank rakia before the fight and thus became invincible." - Ottoman commander Lala Şahin Pasha on the siege of Sofia, 1382

August is The Return of Bulgarian Wine Month thanks to BulgarianWine.com, following up last year's original Bulgarian Wine Month!

IMAGE CREDIT: bnr.bg

If you haven't read the first two parts of my Bulgarian Wine series then I suggest that you do. Part 1: Three-Thousand Years of Wine History has some great stories covering the entire history of wine in Bulgaria, while Part 2: The Current State of Bulgarian Wine will catch you up with the grapes, regions and wine laws of today's Bulgaria.

Throughout July of last year I reviewed many Bulgarian wines, which you can read here, and all of this month (August 2016) there will be more, which you can read here. At the end of the month I'll try some Bulgarian rakia, these ones technically grappa, so I figured that writing a Part 3 of my Bulgarian wine series to cover rakia would be fitting.

Rakia is the fruit brandy of the Balkans, made by every Slavic nation in the region. There's evidence that the Bulgarians invented this stuff and were producing it hundreds of years before distillation even made it to western Europe. It's the adult beverage pride of the country and their national drink.

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