ODV “eau de vie”

- the water of life

LS Merchants was born to push the conventional boundaries of wine, a pursuit of Liquid Surprises with an adventurous spirit and a palate eager for discovery. Sometimes wine doesn’t go exactly to plan, we may have pushed too far or the style doesn’t fit. What comes next is where it gets interesting, taking that unused wine and running it through a small pot style still to extract alcohol and give us brandy.

We could tell you that the art of making spirits was passed down through generations, using age-old techniques and secrets that elevated these to a level of excellence that was unparalleled! But that would be a big fat lie.

We were clueless about spirit production, bar a few hours at university all those years ago. Since 2020 we have been experimenting, learning and honing the skills to produce ODV, the water of life, a fine brandy that represents the region and the unique character of the wine used for the process.

Upon completion of distilling, the grape spirit is either destined for gin, fruit brandy or aged in oak barrels, where it matures gracefully, gaining depth and character over the passing seasons.

It has taken a while for us to get to this point as there is not a single part of this process we have not actively done ourselves with the help and encouragement of friends and family. The magic of ODV lays not only in the ingredients but also in the care, patience and skill during the distillation, aging and blending process.

 Gets Ginny

They say to it takes a lot of beer to make great wine, but really what is better that a perfectly balanced gin on a balmy evening, especially when the base spirit is artisanally crafted from wine.

Batch one of our Gin was created around the great dry styles of the world. Using a traditional base of Juniper, Cardamom, Coriander, Orris root and Licorice root with the addition of Pomegranate seed, pink peppercorn, pimento pepper and sweet orange peel with a hint of ginger. It pairs perfectly with an Indian tonic or is quite happy served neat, a testament to the quality of the spirit.

Serve with rosemary, a slice of orange and indian tonic in a long glass with ice

Gets Fruity

Ciao bella, what better way to deal with excess lemons than make Limoncello. It’s a thankless task peeling lemon rind from 300kg of lemons! Steeped in ODV at 80% for 6 months before cutting back with water, a sugar addition and a little spice to make things interesting (hello cinnamon, cardamom, coriander and orris root)

We have used a liberal amount of orris root in the production of this Limoncello so we could greatly reduce the amount of sugar added. The result, a lighter and brighter version of an italian classic. Saluti!

30ml Limoncello, 30ml Gin, 30ml Lemon Juice and 15ml Macadamia syrup with a touch of egg white (or foamer), shaken and strained in a coupè, delicious!

 Gets Randy

The best of the best, the OG. This is a selection of the finest brandy we have stilled, once selected the spirit is gracefully aged in cognac barrels. For this initial batch, 3yr, we had a single 350L barrel imported from the cellars of Hennessey (no big deal, thanks Andy) filled with ODV time and patience have rewarded us with the beautifully rounded Brandy.

Bottled at 41% ABV with notes of apple skin, citrus florals, toasty oak, spice and a gentle warmth.

Serve on the rocks or mixed up as a sazerac, Let’s get randy.