"All the fruits are so waxy and greasy, because we had so much sunshine. You can feel the weather in your hands. Working in this way drives your understanding. I used to want to work with every single piece of fruit I could get my hands on, but we never see the same fruit in each year."
"Eaux de vie (a fruit brandy) is traditionally found in countries like Germany, France, Switzerland, and Austria. Unaged, double distilled, and designed to capture a single fruit, it is a spirit that has varied in quality and popularity over the centuries. But when Wilczak taught himself to distill a decade ago, England woke up to an exciting new proposition utilizing produce that we can find on hedgerows and trees in our own back yards."
Barney Wilczak, owner of Capreolus Distillery, produces eaux de vie—unaged, double-distilled fruit brandies traditionally associated with Germany, France, Switzerland, and Austria. He taught himself distillation a decade ago and introduced this underutilized spirit category to England using locally sourced fruits from hedgerows and orchards. His approach emphasizes understanding seasonal variations and fruit characteristics, recognizing that weather conditions directly affect fruit composition and spirit quality. Wilczak, a former conservational photojournalist who grew up in the Cotswolds, returned to his roots after traveling to 118 countries. His eaux de vie range includes perry pear, damson, plum, blackberry, and Siegerrebe grape, establishing Capreolus as a respected producer in the spirits industry.
Read at Elite Traveler
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