Hans Reisetbauer Williams Pear Eau-de-Vie

This is the spirit that made Hans Reisetbauer famous. His first commercial release in 1995 was 100 bottles of Williams pear eau-de-vie that sold out to Vienna's top restaurants almost immediately, and it's been the benchmark ever since. The pears come from the family's own organic grove of nearly 17,000 Williams (Bartlett) trees in Axberg, Upper Austria, and the harvest is the secret: Hans picks them underripe, ripe, and overripe in August and September, because each stage contributes something different — acidity, sweetness, texture — and blending them captures the whole fruit rather than one moment of it. After two days of further ripening the pears are washed, destemmed, mashed immediately to prevent oxidation, and fermented cold in stainless steel for eight to ten days. Double distillation in a Christian Carl copper pot still keeps only the heart; heads and tails are discarded. Then it rests a minimum of three years in stainless steel before bottling at 41% ABV. The ratio tells the story: 12.2 kilograms of pears — nearly 27 pounds — for a single liter. Expect the entire pear on display, skin to flesh, so vivid it borders on synesthesia — you can practically feel the texture in your mouth — gently warming, with just enough acidity to brighten the finish and a creamy texture that lingers. Serve it slightly chilled after dinner, or use it to transform a Champagne cocktail.

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