Lillet Blanc

Appearance: Bright straw-gold Aroma: Sweet white grape juice, peach, apricot, orange blossom water and honey. Flavour and Texture: Sweet, crisp vibrant entry. Lime marmalade, honey and ripe apricots. There are some light citrus notes and a very faint hint of resin, but it's barely noticed. The texture is silky, but also crisp. The nose is very reminiscent of moscato, white muscat or a noble riesling and the palate follows suit. The only way this diverges from a sweet dessert wine is the hint of bitterness in the background and a more lightly textured body. The bitter notes are from citrus and cinchona bark extract (but the quinine component was greatly reduced 1986). The older, more bitter product that predated this was called Kina Lillet, and if you want to get an idea of what it tasted like grab a bottle of Cocchi Americano Aperitivo, which is quite similar. Lillet is excellent neat over ice as a refreshing aperitif and also delightful as a spritz or long drink. Lillet and tonic is a great two-ingredient drink but it seems to be something of a secret - it's a fabulous alternative to a gin & tonic when you feel like less alcohol. Try experimenting with a dash of amaro or bitters and a variety of garnishes as well. If you want to beef it up try adding a little cognac. It appears in many old-school cocktails but remember these were originally created with the older Kina Lillet as the ingredient, so contemporary Lillet may result in an unbalanced level of sweetness. If you do get this impression I'd recommend a drop or two of grapefruit bitters to restore the balance. A refined but light-hearted classic that should be in every bar. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Lillet Blanc, which originally was called Kina Lillet, has changed a bit over the years. I never got to try the original Kina Lillet which was apparently much more bitter and more in line with how Cocchi Americano Bianco tastes, but this version is certainly very drinkable, albeit a bit boring. The nose is very floral, with some citrus notes. On the palate, I get lemon peel and sweetness. It's a touch too sweet for my liking. The finish has just a hint of bitterness, but not much, it's very smooth, but not all that exciting and pretty short. I think the one thing I can say about Lillet Blanc is that it's not offensive in any way. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as complex or exciting as Cocchi Americano Bianco. Adding this to cocktails is probably the way to go, although having this on the rocks with a lemon peel isn't a bad option either. I would love to know how the original Kina Lillet tasted because this just seems very muted.

I have finally gotten a chance to review the solid drink. I have already done a review of Cocchi Americano a wine that is my standard for Vermouths. While Lillet Blanc is very good it does not have the same depth of flavor as Cocchi. In the glass, this has a nice color and a wonderful nose with some fruitiness and something with a sharp smell to it. The body is good but thin when compared to Cocchi. This wine is sweeter and less bitter than Cocchi but it mixes much better with soda water as the bitterness in Cocchi came more to the front. This wine is versatile and very stable. I have had this bottle for just over 4 weeks and it is still good. In a Vesper Martini, this makes the drink much sweeter than I prefer and while not bad not as good as Cocchi. Overall, this is very good it is easy to find and generally priced around $20. Enjoy.

12.31.21 Served: Rocks Bottle Open: Unknown (Bar) Aroma: Grape juice, pear. Flavor: Tastes like a dry moscato with a hint of pear. Slightly higher acid than carpano bianco. All Aromatization notes are lost either by serving chilled (my mistake) or improper storage (bottle was on a rail with a speed pourer, but may have been kept chilled and sealed overnight without my knowledge).

Sweet white wine, muscato, and light honey, floral, and orange peel with bitter quinine in the background. Light clean flavors, trending more towards the sweeter than the bitter side (like Cocchi Americano which is a comparable aromatized wine). Essential for classic cocktails like the Corpse Reviver #2, or an aperitif neat (cold) or with a little ice.

Reminds me of ice wine. Sweet, viscous with notes to be expected from sav blanc. Distiller notes seem legit. 1:1 with club soda it becomes brighter and the citrus shines through more. Can see mixing with tonic as well if you want to bring in some complexity and the bite of quinine - which really isn’t here stand-alone.