Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/912565
DEPARTMENT HEADER 82 / the tasting panel / december 2017 The Pearl of Cognac: ODESSA BRANDY The historic Shustov Distillery in Ukraine, supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia for nearly two centuries, is among the great spirits producers of Eastern Europe. An impressive line of brandies and Cognacs flows from the Shustov cellars near the picturesque village of Velikodolinkoe, a little more than 12 miles from Odessa. As the oldest brandy distillery in the country, Shustov has the largest production capacity of any such facility in Europe. It produces up to 3 million dekaliters of brandy each season and contains Ukraine's largest brandy reserves, with aging rooms holding more than 15,000 barrels. These award-winning spirits are made from three prime white grape varietals: Pinot, Aligoté, and Rkatsiteli, an ancient pale- skinned fruit primarily cultivated in Eastern Europe. The distillery employs the traditional French Charentais double distillation method in copper pot stills, including new stills it acquired from Prulho, the distinguished French manufacturer, in 2002. It then ages the spirit in more than 60,000 oak barrels from Ukrainian, Hungarian, and French forests. The spirits mature for a minimum of five years, producing world-class brandy that captures the delicate and refined aromas of the grapes themselves. While French authorities maintain a zealous international cam- paign to prevent producers—even in their homeland—from capital- izing on distinctive appellations such as Cognac and Champagne, Ukrainians emerged victorious in their fight to use the term Cognac. French authorities made an exclusive exception, authorizing Shustov to label its top-of-the line bottlings as Cognac when Shustov's entry in the Paris Exposition won the Grand Prix for excellence. Since its inception, the Shustov brand has remained one of the most heavily-promoted Ukrainian spirits in Europe, with its iconic logo becoming part of France's popular culture. For the first time, however, one of the company's signature products, Odessa Brandy V.S.O.P., is now available in the United States and is imported by Global Spirits USA, a prestigious international spirits supplier. It's a quality brandy at the very approachable price of $10 for a 750-milliliter bottle. 82 / the tasting panel / december 2017 CATEGORY REPORT TASTING NOTES Odessa Brandy V.S.O.P. ($10) The beautiful nose bursts with cedar and baked apples and even a hint of leather. Fresh flowers bloom on the palate, with honeyed wheat toast and a dot of white pepper. There's substance and elegance here, with mandarin-cedar on the finish for a distinctive ending. 93 —M.M.