Nusbaumer, Eau de Vie de Poire William

ABOUT THE PRODUCER & RANGE

Independent since 1947, Distillerie Jos. Nusbaumer (Steige, Alsace) is renowned for pristine fruit spirits shaped by mountain spring water, altitude and a cool Vosges microclimate. The “Eaux-de-Vie d’Exception” range showcases the house’s pinnacle bottlings, presented in amber glass to protect from light with a hand-applied wax medallion.

HOW IT’S MADE

An elevated take on Williams pear: Nusbaumer uses not only classic yellow Williams but also red-skinned Williams—smaller, extra-juicy and intensely aromatic—to boost depth and perfume. The fruit macerates for 3 weeks in the distillery’s own Poire Williams eau-de-vie (Sélection), then is distilled and slowly reduced with Steige spring water (naturally filtered through Vosges schist). A cold filtration polishes the texture before bottling clear and unaged.

TASTING NOTES

• Nose: exuberantly perfumed ripe pear, evoking the fruit’s delicate, grainy flesh.

• Palate: very soft and round, with an intense, succulent pear core—mellow, gourmand and exquisitely pure.

• Finish: long, clean and juicy, the sensation of grainy, just-bitten pear lingering.

SERVING

Best neat as a chilled digestif (or lightly cool, not icy). Also beautiful splashed over fruit sorbet, or to perfume pâtisserie and fruit salads.

CARE

Store upright, cool and dark. Enjoy within ~10 years unopened; up to 5 years after opening for peak freshness.

FRIARWOOD SAYS

A benchmark Poire Williams—silken, precise and vividly true to the orchard, elevated by the addition of red Williams pears. If you love crystalline fruit spirits, this is Alsace at its most refined.