The taste of Romanian spirit with Alexandrion Group

Alexandrion

Alexandrion is the flagship brand of the Alexandrion Group in Romania. The base wine distillate is made from grapes grown in its vineyards in Dealu Mare wine region of Romania. It is aged in oak barrels to impart a refined flavour. The range includes the Alexandrion Five Stars, Alexandrion Seven Stars, and the limited-edition Alexandrion 100, which was created to celebrate the centenary of the unification of Romania.

Our taster sampled the Alexandrion Premium Collection (40%):

Nose: Pear drop and toffee, with a subtle herbal edge. Spirit forward at first, with time in the glass it relaxes and out come defined notes of milk chocolate and butterscotch, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Palate: Intense coffee and caramel, with a definite sweet biscuit note. We're in stroopwaffel and fudge donut territory! Despite the heady flavours, it remains quite light on the palate in terms of mouthfeel.

Finish: Somewhat spirituous, but those fudge and pastry notes linger long.

Comment: The nose is quite guarded, which means that the full flavours of caramel and cake on the palate come as a surprise. Definitely not what I was expecting.

Brâncoveanu

Also part of the Alexandrion Group, Brâncoveanu Vinars was created to commemorate the peace brought in Romania by Constantin Brâncoveanu's rule. The Vinars represents a traditional method of Romanian wine distillate production and maturation. The Brâncoveanu range has recently undergone a rebranding to better represent its premium market positioning and authenticity. Its range includes VS, VSOP and XO cognacs.

Our taster sampled the Brâncoveanu XO Vinars (40%):

Nose: Delicate but complex. Blackberries, raspberries and black cherries in syrup. Some lovely oak-driven spicy notes: delicate clove and liquorice, sawn oak and tobacco. Above it all, gentle vanilla, white chocolate and elderflower.

Palate: Gentle but with a great mouthfeel. Starts off subtle, the flavours build the longer it's held on the palate. There's white grape juice and elderflower cordial, delicate vanilla ice cream and baked red apple. The red berries are here too, but in the backgroumd. Very delicate black tea tannins hide in the wings.  

Finish: Long and comforting. Red apple notes linger along with a touch of fennel and sage. 

Comment: A delightfully nuanced spirit with well-integrated flavours and good balance between spirit and wood-derived character. Softly spoken and sophisticated.

The future for Alexandrion Group

Alexandrion Group is planning to increase its presence in southern Europe with a new distribution entity in Greece - an important market for spirits due to tourism and a strong local bar scene. The new company, named Alexandrion Wines & Spirits S.A., will commence operating in January 2021 with its main offices located in Athens.

It follows the launch of Alexandrion Group operations in Brazil, with the group's Brazilian subsidiary due to start importing and distributing products from Alexandrion Group and The Iconic Estate - including Brancoveanu brandies, Alexandrion Seven Stars, Saber liqueurs and Byzantium wines - before the end of 2020.

4 December 2020 -