Alcohol From A Country That Doesn't Exist, Part II: Eureka!

A little over a month ago I wrote about my 1.5 year search for KVINT, the main export of the breakaway territory of Transnistria.  My search had seen many dead ends, including their east coast distributor in the US.  And now I sit here drinking it.  I FINALLY FOUND IT!

Shortly after that article, as one last ditch effort, I emailed their importer in Seattle, WA.  I had emailed them before, and even called a few times only to get no answer or call-back.  This time?  I got a reply!  They gave me the phone number of their distributor in Denver.  DENVER.  My city!  I called the guy, and he told me that Stockade Wines & Liquors at Parker & Yale had several types of KVINT, in addition to a lot of other hard-to-find-in-the-US Moldovan spirits. 

I was leery at first.  I had once driven a total of 3 hours (round trip) to a liquor store that told me they carried KVINT, only to find some non-KVINT on their shelves.  But when I arrived, I found this:

Stockade Wines & Liquors, I love you.

Holy awesome, Batman!  Three types of KVINT!  Which do I buy?!  I went with SURPRISE XO, as it is one of their fancier products.  Might as well go for the best*, right? 

I'm not a brandy/cognac connoisseur, and any review I give is coming from a scotch/whiskey perspective, but here goes.  It's good!  Much sweeter than whiskey, but still quite strong.  It has a nice flavor.  I'm pleasantly surprised, and VERY excited to be drinking something that was made in Transnistria - a country that doesn't really exist! 

Photo time!

It comes in a fancy cardboard box.

Surprise indeed!

This is the bottle inside.

Moldovan Cognac, Imported

That's right.  It's made in Transnistria, and Moldova gets all the credit.  I guess that's the deal when your country isn't globally recognized.

So there you have it.  My quest has come to a successful end! :)


*No, oldest + most expensive doesn't always mean the best.  But... it's a starting place.