Cala Spirits, a prosperous period for Calatino
I love Belgium
After its Cala Kumquat Gin, the first artisanal and unfiltered Belgian gin made from fresh organic kumquats, the company has just created, for this summer, a cocktail off the beaten track.
By Philippe Fievet
Thierry Verhoeven is an incorrigible sentimentalist: it was by contracting the first two letters of the first names of his daughters Camille and Lauranne that this 57-year-old from Brussels obtained Cala, the name of his spirits company. After working successively at Bacardi Martini, Pernod Ricard and Bruggeman, he managed the Biercée distillery until it was taken over by the Brasserie des Légendes in 2019.
It was now or never to finally launch his own brand of alcohol. He set his sights on the kumquat, this small citrus fruit whose name means “golden orange” in Chinese and whose unique flavor he had discovered thanks to the Belgian chocolate maker Laurent Gerbaud. It will form the basis of its first product, an unfiltered organic gin of 40 degrees with subtle and original flavors. “The fact that it is unfiltered gives it great originality, since the virtues of the essential oils are preserved. This gives it an exceptional length in the mouth and roundness. This gin can therefore be drunk neat, and I can assure you that even brown alcohol lovers appreciate it enormously. »
Three years later, this year, follow Cala Kumquat Bitter and Cala Kumquat Vodka, also made with natural ingredients and artisanal products in Belgium. “Our bitter is a model of its kind. In addition to cane sugar, its composition includes plants such as gentian, verbena, ginger and angelica. ” Names that sing and gave the idea to the fifties to compose a special cocktail for this summer, the “Calatino” : 5 cl of Cala Bitter to which we add 1 cl of squeezed lemon juice, 10 cl of tonic, and voila!
Note that Cala Bitter is made at the Radermacher distillery, located in the town of Raeren, in the Eastern Townships, while the brand’s premium gin comes from the Biercée distillery. The three spirits are distributed on the website www.cala-kumquat-spirits.com or at wine merchants, more capable than any other of distilling… valuable advice! Of course, the production still remains confidential. Nevertheless, Thierry Verhoeven already sounds to the sweet music of export. “Our first pallets have just left for the United States and the Caribbean,” he explains, the license for the American market in his pocket. “The returns are expected to be excellent and we are now considering investing in the Spanish market. »
It should be noted that the Iberian Peninsula is part of the company’s history thanks to Finca Bio Jara, owned by a Namuroise, Françoise Heidebroek, based in Tarifa (southern Andalusia). This family farm has been working with Cala Spirits for four years, supplying it with certified organic kumquats, products with the strictest respect for the environment and biodiversity.
Arrived at the Biercée distillery, they are cut in a huge chopper and absorbed in a stainless steel vat filled with neutral grain alcohol. The maceration lasts a few weeks in order to obtain a maximum of exchanges between the fruit and the alcohol and to develop the aromatic potential of the mixture as much as possible. This then goes into Holstein hammered copper column stills, the Rolls in the matter!
The kumquat distillate is finally placed in other vats to rest for two years on average, much longer than the minimum six months. The company has 4,000 liters which will be used over the next few years. “In our gin, we can identify no less than a dozen ingredients: kumquats, of course, but also juniper berries, cloves, hops, orange, lemon and distillate of cocoa, without forgetting a hint of malt and hops which give it a slight hint of bitterness. It’s also a way of giving a nod to Belgium. »
Result: fresh flavors and a pronounced citrus taste that make Cala Kumquat a real tasting gin. We understand that he has already conquered several great Belgian restaurants as well as a wide range of wine merchants in search of exceptional products. Now it’s Calatino’s turn to join the dance! But in moderation…