A fernet from Contratto of Northern Italy, built on a Barbera-based grape distillate sourced from estate-grown fruit, with extracts of 33 different herbs, spices, roots, and seeds — including aloe, licorice, saffron, anise, fennel, ginger, mint, myrrh, juniper, nutmeg, cinnamon, rhubarb, quassia, clove, and milk thistle. The botanicals are finely crushed through a hammer mill and cold-extracted in hydro-alcoholic solution over 35 days, then sweetened with sugar, colored with natural caramel, filtered, and aged in stainless steel for 40 days. With 10% less alcohol than other fernets on the market, this traditional after-dinner liqueur shows expected aromas of mint, chamomile, and saffron — and, less expectedly, secondary aromas of sweet orange peel and a finish of tremendous length and finesse, without the wafting burn often associated with the category.
ABV: 30% (60 Proof) • 33 botanicals, 35-day cold extraction
