Vecchio Amaro del Capo (75cl, 35%)

A Calabrian amaro made from 29 herbs, spices, roots, fruits and flowers native to southern Italy, produced by Fratelli Caffo in Limbadi. The base spirit is distilled from sugar beets, then macerated with a proprietary blend of 29 botanicals including mandarin orange peel, mint, anise, cinnamon bark and juniper. The liquid rests in neutral oak barrels under a solera system, with the whole process taking about a year. The nose leads with pungent mandarin orange zest, cool mint, anise seed and cinnamon bark, with floral layers and warm honey behind. The palate begins bright with rhubarb tartness and oily orange, then deepens into cloves, licorice and bitter herbal complexity. The finish is long and ever-shifting, with tangerine, chamomile and allspice lingering.