Carpano Antica Vermouth (1L, 16.5%)

A premium Italian sweet vermouth from Piemonte, produced by Fratelli Branca Distillerie using a base of Italian white grape wines from Romagna, Puglia and Sicily. The botanical recipe uses hot infusion and cold extraction, with whole vanilla beans from Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Tahiti rather than extract. The nose opens with dark dried fruits, fig and prune, followed by vanilla bean, candied orange peel and warm baking spices, with a faint tobacco-leaf earthiness. The palate is plush and richly textured with dried cherries, raisins and caramel, then clove, cassia bark and saffron, balanced by bitter orange. The finish is long and warming with lingering vanilla, dark chocolate and subtle coffee bitterness.