Aramis is a brandy-like spirit drink, made in Lithuania by Stumbras. It’s blend of brandy and rectified spirit, sugar and flavours has been added. Aramis is very popular in Estonia, due to the fact it’s sold at a very low price. What I’ve seen in stores, the 20 cl pocket size bottle is the most famous, costing around 3.50€. There are three different versions of Aramis: V, VSOP and XO. VSOP here does not mean what it normally is, but is “very smooth old pale”. The producer tries hardly to put this to same class with french brandys, showing the advertising photos and tv-spots of south-France wine fields. But I’m afraid there is very little the real brandy used and it is more done from grain spirit and flavourings.

The aroma is sweet and light, with caramel and prunes. The taste is sweet and soft, but somehow watery. 30% strength comes out with a very light taste and there is so much added sugar that you feel almost no alcohol at all. Soft, fruity and sweet flavored liquor. This is easy to shoot neat from a pocket-sized bottle, without raising a grimace on anyone’s face. Compared to real brandys, it is too light, but Aramis is still much better than the similar product Louis VX from Estonian Liviko.

64/100