This beautiful slip of a spirit is the collaboration of two boutique BC craftsmen, both artisan producers in their own right. Long Table Distillery, Vancouver’s first inner-city distillery and Similkameen Valley’s Clos du Soleil Winery have come together to weave grape pulp into liquid gold.
From Clos du Soleil’s 100 percent organic estate grown Merlot pomace (leftover from the winemaking process), Long Table has created the smooth and sultry Marc du Soleil. Merlot isn’t a typical grape to use for this clear spirit, but the results here are highly rewarding. Marc (the French name to Italy’s grappa) is a spirit distilled from the skins, pulp, seeds and stems (also known as pomace)—products that are often just discarded. Here they’ve rested this marc in barrel to infuse the cool, spiced plum and fragrant cherry silkiness with a soft cushion of vanilla warmth. Fantastic length, the lingering fruitiness remaining far after my last dram. A very cool partnership project from two of BC’s foresightful and progressive producers—and well worth seeking out. I had batch 001—here’s hoping there are many more.
Follow on Facebook: Long Table Distillery and Clos du Soleil
Track on Twitter: @LT_Distillery and @closdusoleil
