The first records of distilled grains spirits appeared in Ireland and Scotland in the 1400’s. Over time, these spirits became known as whiskey, which is the anglicized version of the Gaelic word uisce beatha (Ish-ca Baa-ha) which means water of life. English colonization spread whiskey making it to both Canada and the United States and the types of whiskey they made evolved based on the grains that grew well in those climates and soils. Before the 1800’s, whiskey was largely stored in barrels simply for transportation. But, around the turn of the 19th century, people noticed that whiskey stored in barrels had a better flavor and aroma and so began purposefully aging whiskey before selling it. As distilling technology improved, it expanded the variety of whiskey styles that could be made to match the preferences of the drinking public.
Mistelles can be made anywhere in the world though their production has been primarily centered in Europe. In the US, a small number of brandy and cider makers have also begun to offer their own versions of mistelle and pommeau.
Mistelles are unique because they are neither a wine nor a spirit but something in between. By combining 2 to 3 parts unfermented fruit juice with one part spirit you end up with a beverage that is too low to be classified as a spirit but also isn’t technically a wine. While mistelles began as a homemade beverage, the big difference between mistelles today and your own homemade blend is the extra barrel aging after mixing. This rest period allows the mixture to mellow and become unified instead of just tasting like boozy juice.
A mistelle made by mixing apple juice and calvados (a type of French apple brady) that is at least 1 year old. The resulting mixture is then aged for a minimum of 14 months in oak barrels and bottled between 16-18% ABV with a minimum of 69 grams per liter of residual sugar from the apple juice. Despite the fact that pommeau has been made in Normandy for more than 500 years, France did not establish a full appellation of control (AOC) to protect and promote its production until 1991.
A mistelle made by mixing 2 parts apple juice and 1 part lambig (a type of French apple brandy). The mixture is aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 14 months and then bottled at 17% ABV. Like its neighbor, pommeau de Bretagne has been made for hundreds of years but only received AOC protection 1997.
A mistelle made by mixing unfermented grape must and cognac in Charente or Charente-Maritime, France. The AOC for pineau de Charentes was finalized in October 1945 and set out a number of specifications for its production. The grape juice and cognac must come from the same estate, the cognac used in the pineaus must be at least 1 year old, the mistelle must be aged in oak barrels and bottled between 16-22% ABV. White pineau des Charentes must age for at least 18 months with 12 of those months in barrel, while rose and red pineaus must age for at least 12 months with 8 of those in barrel. White, rose and red pineaus may also be labeled as old or very old pineau de Charentes if they were aged for at least 5 or 10 years respectively.
A mistelle made by mixing grape juice and armagnac. Floc de Gascgone translates as a flower bouquet of Gascony and has been made in the region since the 16th century though it wasn’t commercially available until 1976 and didn’t receive their AOC protection until 1990. Floc de Gascgone comes in both white and red varieties which are made by mixing 2 parts grape juice (from white wine or red wine grapes) and 1 part armagnac that is a minimum of 1 year old. Once combined the mistelle is then aged for a minimum of 9 months in oak barrels and bottled between 16-18% ABV.