Čepkelių Spanguolių Trauktinė (Cranberry bitter) (36%)

Čepkelių is trademark of Vilniaus Degtine. Čepkelių serie consist plenty of different spirits drinks with berry, herb or bitter tastes. Vilniaus Degtine is the second biggest alcohol producer in Lithuania, with 14% market share. Čepkelių cranberry bitter is made by cranberries, different plant infusions and natural flavours. 20 cl bottle was 3.79€ in Lithuania.

The drink is brownish in the glass and there are small red nuggets in it that probably come from cranberries. The nose has a slight berry aroma and some herbal notes. Ethanol also comes through quite strongly. The taste is semi-dry and rather sharp. The taste has a slightly sour cranberry aroma and some herbs and spices similar from different herbal liqueurs. It is definitely a spirit drink, not liqueur, there is just a few of added sugar. The sharp burn of ethanol disturbs quite a lot, like the alcohol used in the mixture is poor quality. There could perhaps be a little more cranberry taste and sugar, honey or other sweetness that would mask the ethanol burn. Now a shot burns like hell and this is not a drink I would like to sip from the aroma glass. The 20 cl small bottle now went down by sipping it once in a while, but this booze probably works better in different mixed drinks..

72/100

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