|
Ceylon Arrack is a spirit distilled from the sap of the coconut flower. This sap is the juice that would have eventually turned the coconut flower into a coconut. Collecting the sap is a timeless art handed down from one generation to another. The Ceylon 'toddy tappers' can be seen early morning atop tall coconut trees 'tight rope walking' effortlessly from tree to tree, along the shoreline where coconut trees grow in abundance. The sap has its own natural yeast and starts fermenting naturally once collected and must be distilled within 24Hrs of being collected else it would over ferment and turn into Vinegar. Arrack is therefore one of the fewrare spirits in the world which is a distillate of a 100% natural fermentation. Unlike 'whisky', Arrack is distilled at approx high strength. The purity of the drink is evident in the smooth finish when sipping Ceylon Arrack neat. The raw spirit is full of natural flavour and aroma and is aged in traditional Sri Lankan 'Halmilla' hard wood. Whilst whiskey and cognac would get is character from the wood in which it is aged or the type of water used, in the case of Arrack the distilled spirit is already full of character hence the primary role of ageing is to calm the spirit. Therefore the question of number of years aged is not as relevant as longer ageing does not necessarily significantly improve the quality of the spirit. The ageing process is carefully monitored to ensure the natural flavours are enhanced and not overtaken. Our ageing process is unique to Ceylon Arrack. Ceylon Arrack cannot be compared to whiskey as it sits in a category by itself. But if it were compared, it would be equivalent to a pure malt whiskey it is not blended with grain or any other neutral spirit. The toddy from four to six coconut trees is hand collected, distilled and aged to bring you a bottle of 700ml Ceylon Arrack.
|
