A delicious pear Eau de Vie bursting with fresh juicy notes.

In the early 1800s, local Swiss farmer Johann Baptist Etter was growing his crops and distilled what’s left to earn a little extra money. But this little side-line started to grow and his son Paul opened a production distillery in 1870 making cherry Eau de Vie. The company would continue to grow over the years, but always stay in the family. But it wasn’t until 1981 that they branched out into other fruit Brandies and Whiskies. In 2020 the company celebrates one hundred and fifty years of Swiss Spirit.

It takes more than 24 pounds of pears to make each bottle of Etter Poire Williams Pear Brandy. Those pears are crushed and fermented for eight to ten weeks before being distilled in small, hybrid copper pot stills. They used to let the Spirit mature in glass demijohn bottles over time like a cider — but now it rests in stainless steel for six to twelve months. The final Spirit is bottled for us to enjoy at 42% ABV. And enjoy it you will with a fruit-filled blast of natural pear essence on the palate.

Smartass Corner:
Williams pears are the most common variety grown in Switzerland. It is the same variety genetically as the Bartlett pear in the US.