Brandy Style

Styrian fruit brandy has no single signature fruit but rather four varieties, all listed by the Ministry of Agriculture in the Register of Traditional Foods. All four are varietal brandies: the name states the fruit, and the fruit comes from Styria. Two of them, Hirschbirne and Kronprinz Rudolf, can even be traced to a specific place: the Pöllauer Valley and Wolfgruben near Gleisdorf.

Styrian Hirschbirne Brandy comes from the Pöllauer Valley. According to the register, the Hirschbirne pear gives it an intense, youthful pear bouquet with a tart hint of green bell pepper and plenty of freshness. The register requires a minimum of 38 percent alcohol.

Styrian Maschanzker Apple Brandy and Styrian Kronprinz Rudolf Apple Brandy are two apples and two brandies. Both are made from old Styrian varieties; the Maschanzker has been documented since 1877, while the Kronprinz Rudolf was exhibited in Vienna in 1873. The difference from Calvados: Calvados is distilled from fermented apple and pear wine and follows Normandy's regulations, whereas the Styrian brandies carry the variety's name itself.

Styrian Kriacherl is the brandy made from the small blue oat plum. Unlike pear and apple, it's a stone fruit, and in the glass this shows up as a subtle stone-fruit note alongside the fruit.

'Edelbrand' isn't an EU quality tier but an Austrian term: according to the Austrian Food Code, it describes a distillate made from fermented mash that retains its aroma. If up to one-third neutral agricultural alcohol is added, the product must be labeled Obstschnaps instead. For Hirschbirne Brandy, the register refers to Chapter B 23 of this code.