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AUGUST 2012

Dear friend of fine spirits,

    We are releasing 1200 bottles of a newly-developed liqueur, Germain-Robin  liqueur  Pear de Pear. Here’s the story:

    In 1982, the year we brought over our first (antique) cognac still, Remy Martin constructed an 8-still stone edifice in the Napa valley plus an aging cellar capable of holding 5000 barrels. RMS alambic brandy turned out to be hard to sell – they eventually sold the place to a winery. The distillers were Americans, talented, who were often frustrated by being managed by persons from Cognac who didn’t fully understand the local grapes. One of their own projects was a pear liqueur that consistently outsold the RMS brandy itself in the RMS tasting room. After the place closed, we used to get calls asking where to buy it.

    In 2007, we did some research into the formula. Joe Corley (distiller and cellarmaster at Germain-Robin since 2006), spent five years developing our version, If you are wondering, 4 1/2 years is not weirdly long for a craft-method distiller to do his best work with a product like Pear de Pear.

    We like it a lot: rich, creamy, deep in pear flavor and aroma. In June, we hand-filled 18 bottles to show around: everyone who tasted it ordered some. We will sell it in the SF Bay Area but otherwise it will likely be available mostly in the G-R tasting room and at Caddell & Williams. If you like liqueurs, get a bottle.

     Mezcal is hot. We sold out of our first order of Alipus in about three weeks and have just received our second shipment. By the time you get this, we will also have Mezcalero  no. 5 in stock, a blend of cultivated espadín and wild tepeztate agaves. It will go quickly.

Ansley Coale