If you start with fruit as a base, distill it, and bottle the result without aging it on wood, you've got eau-de-vie. These typically clear (but sometimes colored) liquors resemble vodka with subtle fruit notes, and are often served chilled in small glasses as digestifs. In Germany, this type of liquor is called Schnaps, but don't confuse that with the syrupy-sweet, heavily-flavored stuff that gets labeled “Schnapps” in America. They're effectively unrelated. German Schnaps, like all other true Eau-de-Vie, are sugarless, high-proof liquors . French for “Water of Life” these unique brandies are not aged on oak, so they retain their pure fruit flavors. Although they are clear and have no oaking, they are still carefully aged in maturation tanks to allow the flavers to meld and smooth. These are not sweet spirits, but true brandies at 40% Alcohol by volume (80 proof)
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