Local brandies are already competing with global distilled beverage brands, and it won’t be long before brandy is recognized as a quality product in Europe and the world, says Branko Drljača, a sommelier of noble distillates originally from the Novo Grad area.
“Local brandies are already on par with global brands. People often say that local brandy can stand shoulder to shoulder with other brands, but I prefer to say that other brands can stand shoulder to shoulder with brandy,” said Drljača, whose distillate made from three types of plums from his family’s estate in Rajnovača was recently named the best stone fruit distillate in the United Kingdom.
Drljača emphasized that there are many reasons to support this claim, one of which is that brandy is a high-quality product with great potential that has already been recognized and just needs to build its reputation.
“Our philosophy is based on indigenous varieties. I can say that what hasn’t yet transitioned to production with indigenous varieties is in the transitional phase. In the future, we will exclusively have indigenous varieties whose potential is extremely high,” said Drljača.
He mentioned that in these regions, plum brandy (šljivovica) is synonymous with brandy, but the production of apple brandy (jabukovača) has been increasing recently.
“Fortunately, apple brandy is on an upward trajectory in these areas. I’m pleased about that because I personally appreciate high-quality apple brandy when it’s made properly and with quality. It’s a brandy with a strong aromatic spectrum, and there are many varieties that can be used to make a monodistillate, which is very interesting when the varieties are mixed,” Drljača said.
He highlighted that apple brandy can be made with high quality, whether it’s colorless and clear or aged in barrels.
Drljača has already introduced his apple brandy made from three varieties to enthusiasts and connoisseurs in Banja Luka, along with a brandy called “cvjetnica,” based on the plum variety “turgulja.”
For this brandy, eight types of flowers from Mount Leotar were macerated, creating a blend of Krajina and Herzegovina, as Drljača explains.
He noted that awareness about brandy and distillates among people in the Balkans is increasing daily.
“In the past 10 years, many initiatives have been launched that will positively influence the reputation of our beloved brandy. In the Republika Srpska, the Kultura Rakija foundation has been established with the aim of raising the culture of drinking and producing brandy to a high level, as it deserves,” Drljača concluded.
Source: RTRS
