Batavia Arrack

Description

Some sugar cane character. Spicy, woody, or herbal tea like.

Aroma:

Batavia is a Dutch name for what is now Jaccarta, Indonesia.
A product of the Indonesia or the Dutch East Indies, Batavia Arrack was a very popular item worldwide between the 17th and 19th centuries and even into the pre-prohibition United States. This pot-distilled spirit is based with sugar cane and then a local red rice (2% of the distillate) and yeast are used to start fermentation. The spirit is then aged in teak. The resulting spirit is known to accentuate flavors of citrus and chocolate. At one time this was an essential ingredient to almost any punch, but since prohibition it has been a bit tricky to locate it.

Color:

Typically clear or nearly clear. I have not been able to find many however, and I would suspect that some examples appear slightly more wood-aged.

Flavor:

Usually not intended for straight consumption. Heavy wood notes and smoke from teak wood.
Slightly earthy. Reminiscent of the flavors of a bitter, lengthily-steeped herbal tea.

Strength:

Usually distilled and bottled at high proof. 50% alcohol by volume to 70% alcohol by volume.