(Bedford) Quebec has the ambition to make acerum its identity spirit. Fove’s maple eau-de-vie, the finest we’ve tasted to date, adds a beautiful stone to the edifice. We followed distiller Corinne Cluis to Bedford to better understand what makes the precision and delicacy of her product.
It is in the facilities of the Comont distillery that the biochemist develops and perfects her acerums. She has access to a beautiful hybrid still, which she has learned to manipulate to bring out an alcohol that is both pure and aromatic. The two companies have also improvised a “cellar” in the Bedford lofts, where they can ripen their precious nectars.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Corinne Cluis produces the acerums Fove.
Thus, there are now two Fove products on the shelves of the SAQ: the white acerum released last spring and the amber acerum (aged), available for only a few weeks. At $46.75 and $52.75 respectively per 500ml bottle, they are surprisingly cheaper than other maple brandies on sale at the state corporation.
Japanese touch
Those expecting a sugar shack taste will be surprised. The white is rather reminiscent of… sake! Its aromas evoke more precisely the Japanese rice drink of the “ginjo” type, with very fruity notes of honeydew melon, pear, red liquorice. At 40% alcohol, it is indeed a completely dry spirit and not a sweet liqueur.
“Acerum is a bit of a cognitive dissonance because it’s much closer to an eau-de-vie like grappa than a maple product,” observes Corinne Cluis.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Corinne Cluis extracts a little acerum from a cask.
Fove’s amber acerum is less confusing. The bourbon barrels left hints of vanilla and hazelnut. Those of rum marked the liquid with candied fruit and a little molasses. The product is a blend of distillates aged for six and eight months in these two types of containers. It is just as masterful and subtle as its virgin wooden sibling.
If Fove spirits are so precise, it may be because they were born from a scientific mind. Before embarking on the creation of alcohols, the holder of a doctorate in molecular biology from Concordia University worked for the Montreal company Lallemand, one of the largest manufacturers of yeasts in the world, especially for wine and spirits. .
“I led the research team whose mandate was to characterize the “aromatic signature” of our different yeast strains and also to identify new ones allowing the development of distinctive tastes for different classes of spirits, especially for whisky, rum and tequila, explains Corinne Cluis. Another aspect of our research was to understand and document the impact of different fermentation conditions on the flavors of spirits. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Corinne Cluis smells an acerum fresh out of its barrel.
Then the desire took her to try herself to create a very distinctive product. The beauty of the bottles chosen by the scientist, reminiscent of high-end perfumery and fine grappa bottles, testifies to her sensitivity for design. She entrusted the brand image, both elegant and striking, to the agency Harrison Fun.
It’s really a challenge to market acerum because it’s not yet a well-known alcohol. But I also think it’s a beautiful blank slate and an extraordinary opportunity to develop something unique in Quebec. I could make whiskey, but what more would my whiskey bring to all those who already exist?
Corinne Cluis, founder of Fove
A controlled appellation?
The name “acerum du Québec” could soon exist. Specifications were submitted to the Council for Reserved Designations and Enhanced Terms (CARTV) and a Union of Maple Spirits Distillers (UDSE) was created. It now has about ten members, and there are now about ten products on the shelves of the SAQ. But that’s nothing compared to the 200 gins here, let’s say.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Corinne Cluis has done a large number of aging tests.
“We are still experimenting and I want to take part in this research. Everyone goes with their recipe, with their equipment. But we can expect that one day we will find the best way to do it, the best time and the best aging wood. It’s light when it comes out of the still, so don’t crush it. In my opinion, it should be treated more like a tequila than a whisky. »
Corinne Cluis uses barrels that have had several passages and never new wood. In the Comont tasting room, she gives us a taste of an acerum that has aged in a cask of Jamaican rum. It doesn’t lie. The molasses is present. Then, maple not being the only sugar that interests the eternally curious, we taste a rum distilled from blackstrap molasses and aged in barrels of rye. Once again, the influence of the container is evident, with much spicier notes.
“I am trying to find even more character, specificity. For now, someone who doesn’t really see the differences between aged spirits might think it’s a whiskey. In short, there is still a lot to do to understand the acerum and to make it known here as elsewhere.