Readers who have been following this series know that the entries are focused on the “Wine of Moldova” event that was held at Tokyo’s elegant Meiji Kinenkan late in 2025. Ah, yes, it was Japan’s capital city, but after I took a couple of sips of Balti, I was transported back to the summer of 2005, when I spent some time traveling through Normandy and sampling their most famous alcoholic beverage, Calvados. I tasted this apple brandy from both major producers and farmhouses and left fully satisfied. Of course, I cannot refer to Balti using the French term, so let me just say that it is Normandy East, in my opinion.
Balti is a spirit made from Moldovan apples. Think “Normandy East.” Produced by Barza Alba (est. 1944) through pot-still distillation, it carries the designation “XO.” It has been aged for fifteen years and weighs in at 40% ABV.
Sensory Evaluation: Color: deep gold. Nose: intense redolence of baked apples and brown sugar, like walking into a confectioner’s shop when the pastry chef is just about to remove his creation from the oven. Just smelling this is pleasure enough, but I must move on to the palate. Palate: baked apples again, sweet but not cloying. Mouthfeel: silky. Finish: exceptionally long, so long that I decided to time it. It lasted fifty-five seconds.
Overall Evaluation: This manifestation of “Normandy East” can seriously compete with the output of “Normandy West”!
Link: www.barzaalba.md
Drinking Japan 