This is the benchmark. The archetype. If you’ve never truly experienced Williamsbirne eau-de-vie before, this will reset your expectations. Rochelt’s 2015 vintage is an ode to ripeness, clarity, and technical mastery — the pear, made immortal.

The nose is transcendent. Imagine the aroma of a perfectly ripe Bartlett pear — sliced open under the sun, juice glistening — then imagine it intensified tenfold. There’s also fresh pear skin, a hint of honeydew, and subtle floral notes like white lilac and chamomile. Keep smelling, and you’ll catch cool mineral undertones — mountain water over stone — and a delicate trace of white pepper.

On the palate, it is full, clean, and explosively aromatic. There’s absolutely no sweetness in the sugar sense, but the fruit radiates such richness that it feels indulgent. Pear flesh, pear skin, and a whisper of green almond form the core, but wrapped around them are complex flourishes — lemon balm, fennel pollen, and the faintest note of mint. The alcohol is powerful, but so integrated it feels like an extension of the fruit’s natural brightness.

Mid-palate, it turns slightly creamy — like pear sorbet melting on the tongue — before finishing with crisp, dry precision. The finish is impossibly long: pure, vibrant, and mineral, with a lingering note of pear blossom and alpine breeze.

Serve at cellar temperature — around 14–16°C — in a fine tulip or Grappa glass. Pair with blue cheese, roasted nuts, or nothing at all. It’s the kind of spirit you could drink at the summit of a mountain and feel it elevate you even further.