Po do Poli Morbida Grappa

Nose: Orange liqueur and Brazil nuts. Wicker baskets, lychees, passionfruit, light baking spices, decaying tropical fruit, and slightly musty hay. The aroma from the dry glass is entirely orange blossom. Palate: Initially sweet and honeyed, but quickly develops the bitter and oily grape-seed notes characteristic of grappa. Mineral, earthy, and floral on the mid-palate with a variety of citrus flavors, light cinnamon, pears, and a bittersweet feijoa edge. There's an alcoholic heat that almost overwhelms the palate, but it dissipates rapidly. Finish: Medium/long. Mineral, flinty with an unusual, cloying oily sensation, but sweet undertones are still apparent. This is a fairly standard example of grappa. It presents a predominantly grapey-orange profile, as expected from its origin in orange blossom muscat and white muscat grape marc, but also includes notes of tropical fruit and stale nuts. The duration is good. Grappa is a divisive spirit, and I've concluded that it's not an acquired taste. It's one of those spirits with strong regional and historical ties that primarily appeals to those who grew up with it. If you've never tried grappa and are curious, this is a good one to sample. If you don't enjoy it after a couple of tastes, then abandon this type of spirit altogether, as it rarely gets much better than this. If you find it too intense, try it ice-cold from the freezer. "Adequate": 74/100 (2.25 stars)

I believe I will follow a friend's recommendation and abandon grappa entirely. My experience with some in Italy about 20 years ago was terrible, and this is not much better. It resembles artificial perfume mixed with watered-down ethanol and salad oil, with faint kippers also detectable. This is definitely not to my taste, apologies.