Water of Life – EtOh Spirits
Within the confines of this spirit-centric series, we have covered whiskies, gins, tequilas, mezcals and vodkas from all corners of this earthround yet if you think that the geographic location of the entity known as EtOh, i.e. Denmark, is the most exotic thing about their operations, think again.
Having set out with the ambition to innovate and challenge the status quo of how the spirits industry has traditionally functioned, EtOh approaches the ageing of spirits scientifically by utilizing ultrasound along with a range of other techniques (e.g. heat and oxygen) to artificially accelerate the process and condense the timeframe from years to days.
Instead of barrels, EtOh uses a custom-built reactor, which allows them to calibrate the finer nuances in the creation of their interesting flavour profiles.
The result is that after a period of experimentation, EtOH is now able to create spirits from scratch in mere weeks rather than years.
Needless to say, I was both intrigued and sceptical as to the quality of the final product.
The first EtOh emission I tried was Arbejd, the nose of which won me over straight away with its peaty, slightly maritime and medicinal aromas, delicate coffee notes and the faintest hint of sherry.
What materialized on the top of the mouth was a delicious melange of charred wood, saline notes and stone fruits dancing against a backdrop of delicious smokiness, reminiscent of a young peated cask strength Bunnahabhain.
The medium finish reverberates with oaky flavours that culminate in an elegant smokiness flanked by slightly tart highlights, leaving one lusting for another dram.
Given the complexity of Arbejd, it is astonishing that it was created within less than two weeks and clocking in at 47% ABV, it is a delicious yet exotic expression that earns a place close to some of my beloved Islay whiskies.
Next up was EtOh’s Hafnium, which takes us into territory that some would lovingly describe as characterized by detonated sherry bombs if it was a whisky, as upon approach the nostrils are tickled by aromas of sultanas and honeyed dates, accentuated by a hint of ginger and counterpointed by sweet coffee notes.
On the palate, orange marmalade is married with cinnamon, oak and maple syrup, dancing on a foundation of a bucketload of dried fruits.
The finish is dominated by milk chocolate, raisins, booming with sherried notes from all angles.
With the way EtOh manages to preserve the complexity, I would bet that in a blind tasting only the most seasoned would taste a difference in nuances between traditionally aged whiskies and EtOh’s mere days old spirits.
