Brandy Style

The difference between Kecskeméti and Gönci Barackpálinka doesn't lie in the fruit but in the place. Both are apricot brandies with a protected name. One comes from the sand dunes of the Great Plain, where the fruit soaks up plenty of warmth; the other from the Hernád Valley in the northeast, carrying its own apricot variety in its name and fruit rich in minerals with pronounced acidity.

Both share a scent of ripe apricot, often with a hint of almond or marzipan coming from the stones and the fruit itself. An apricot brandy from Austria sits very close in style—Marillenschnaps and Barackpálinka are siblings, differing mainly on paper.

Homokháti őszibarack pálinka, by contrast, is a peach brandy. According to its product specification, it has an aroma of ripe peach with citrus and a touch of marzipan, tastes fresh and citrusy with ripe fruit, carries fine tannins, and finishes long and silky. The Nagykunsági brandies stand for plum and quince, with the quince being especially fragrant.

How does Pálinka differ from fruit brandy in general? At its core, Pálinka is a fruit brandy with a protected name and stricter rules: Hungarian fruit only, no additives, production within the country. Törkölypálinka, however, falls into the marc brandy category, since it's made from grape marc rather than fruit.

In the glass, it's accordingly a different type altogether: less fruit, more grape, skin, and spice. The region's signature brandies in brief: one apricot brandy from Kecskemét, a second from Gönc, and the marc brandy that could never be mistaken for a fruit spirit.