Rakia Arkana Barrel аged

Muscat rakia aged up to 18 months in 500 liter Bulgarian oak barrels. The colour is golden and rich, amber, the result of the long aging of the distillate. The aroma is intense, with the typical Muscat nuances of gul, lavender and citrus followed by vanilla and dark chocolate. A light spicy hint of ginger, coriander and endive intertwine with wood bark and coffee and complete the palate sensation. The taste is soft with a pleasant attack, carrying a feeling of wax, honey and sweet spices. The finish is long and multi-layered, strongly floral and ends with a gentle mint-herbal note.

Terroir: The vineyards are located on the low, hilly slopes of Sredna Gora, in the region of the village of Lesichovo, between 250-350m above sea level, with uniform exposure to the sun. The Topolnitsa River crosses the village in its lower course and is a leading factor for the mild microclimate, contributing to the full and timely ripening of the grapes. They are grown organically, without the use of pesticides and herbicides, and are nourished by manure and weeding between the rows. The majority of the 13,4 ha of vineyards are young - 3-4 years old, but the company also repaires some old vineyards with the Muscat Otonell variety (over 50 years old), and also owns about 2 ha with well developed 10-11-year-old vines in active fruiting. The 4 different locations around the village of Lesichovo clearly shows the influence of the terroir even at such a micro level. This helps a lot for the successful selection of the grapes already in the field - according to the degree of ripening and organoleptic characteristics, which in turn contributes to the separation of the grapes according to qualitative and quantitative properties even before the vinification process.

Vinification and distillation: At the end of August and the beginning of September, a completely manual selective grape harvest is carried out in crates, which are transported to the distillery for additional selection before fermentation. Part of the grapes is pressed and fermented in a liquid phase. The rest of the grapes are crushed, after which fermentation takes place with the skins. This helps to better extract aromatic substances during the process and preserve them in the wine material subjected to subsequent distillation. Alcoholic fermentation continues for two weeks, after which the wine material passes to the distillation stage. The distillation itself takes place in distillation apparatuses with periodic action, which are equipped with a  column and a water dephlegmator. The distillation is fractional, by separating the first, middle and tail fractions. The process has the advantage to adjust the parameters, which helps for target separation of the middle fraction and collection of a better quality distillate. After distillation, the produced raw material for this Muscat rakia goes through an ageing stage in barrels - up to 18 months, in 500 liter Bulgarian oak barrels. The final blend contains 90% aged distillate and 10% fresh.

Tasting notes: The colour is golden and rich, amber, the result of the long aging of the distillate in oak barrels. The aroma is intense, with the typical Muscat nuances of gul, lavender and citrus followed by vanilla and dark chocolate. A light spicy hint of ginger, coriander and endive intertwine with wood bark and coffee and complete the palate sensation. The taste is soft with a pleasant attack, carrying a feeling of wax, honey and sweet spices. The finish is long and multi-layered, strongly floral and ends with a gentle mint-herbal note.

Combining with food: Arkana barrel aged is suitable for combination with egg and yoghurt salads and cheese dishes. Thanks to the integrated aromas from the oak aging, it is a great accompaniment to the richer-tasting Asian foods, including hot and spicy ones.