Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa. It is produced by Distell, Africa’s largest alcohol producer and one of the few African companies to have their products distributed globally. Amarula is made from the fruits of the Marula tree. The juice obtained from the fruit is fermented and distilled into alcohol. The original Amarula cream liqueur was released in 1983. The flavored cream liqueurs are clearly younger, Amarula Spiced Vanilla was released in 2018. Amarula flavored with raspberry, chocolate and baobab was released in 2019 and has also arrived on the European market this year. A 70 cl bottle of cream liqueur costs €14.

Amarula Raspberry & Chocolate is clearly leaner than cream liqueurs in general. The color is slightly pink and the appearance resembles milk with a little red juice added. The sweet nose has cream, chocolate and a little berry aroma. The mouthfeel is soft, but not as luscious as the original Amarula. The taste recalls milk with added sugar, neutral alcohol and a little spices. The raspberry aroma is thin and there is no hint of chocolate. The baobab appears in the background as a slightly tart, fruity note.

The aroma of Amarula Raspberry & Chocolate is excellent, but the taste doesn’t have so much raspberry and chocolate as the name suggests. The product tastes itself good, but the somewhat artificial berry taste and milky mouthfeel reduce the enjoyment. In accordance with current trends, the producer clearly wanted to reduce the cream and the fat in it, and replaced it with sugar to get a smooth mouthfeel. Raspberry & Chocolate is nice to sip a couple of small glasses, but the original Amarula is still clearly better.

78/100