Pear eau de vie is often thought of the ultimate test of a distiller’s skill. Alpine distillers across Europe have created what many consider to be the benchmark of the genre by using small alembic pot stills. Leopold Bros is creating history by running fresh-fermented mountain pears through their one-of-a-kind Three Chamber still. 

Starting with Bartlett pears from California, they mash and ferment the fruit in-house, after which the maximum flavor and texture is extracted with the Three Chamber still. From there, they dilute the spirit slowly, as adding water too quickly to any eau de vie causes the oils to separate. As a result, they have to be especially careful with the extra-oily Three Chamber distillate. 

In an exothermic reaction, adding water to alcohol also releases a small amount of heat, which needs time to dissipate. Because of that reaction, it takes over two and a half months to proof down the eau de vie from 64% down to 50% ABV. The spirit is then transferred to glass demijohns where it rests for an additional six months. Aging in glass relaxes the eau de vie as it slowly marries with oxygen. The lengthy maturation period also softens the spirit, which enhances the flavor simultaneously. The result is a Pear Eau-De-Vie that jumps out of the glass with the complexity of the best, freshest ripe fruit, with a viscous texture and richness that only the Three Chamber still can provide.