Rumple Minze (75cl, 50%)

Rumple Minze is a German peppermint liqueur made at the Scharlachberg Distillery in Bingen, on the Rhine. It is bottled at 50% ABV, well above most schnapps. The base is a neutral grain spirit, rectified in multiple columns, to which natural peppermint flavouring is added in a way that protects the mint's essential oils. The higher strength is chosen deliberately, as it carries the volatile oils more effectively and gives a sharper, more concentrated mint character. The nose is cool and crisp, with crushed mint, candy cane and wintergreen. The palate is intensely minty with measured sweetness and a warming heat, and the finish is smooth and long, with cooling menthol and a trace of herbal bitterness.