R. Jelínek 5yo Kosher Slivovitz review (plus a cocktail)

We love the Rudolf Jelínek distillery here at Different Spirits. Well-made, well-presented, and (importantly) available fruit spirits on the shelf at a reasonable price? Hell yes I'm in. Previous reviews include their apricot brandy (   • Apricot Brandy for Summer: R. Jelínek Bohe...   ) - which was fairly approachable by the standards of that austere-as-hell category - and also their 10yo slivovitz (   • A Slivovitz Session: Clear Creek Blue Plum...   ) - which for forty moneys is one of the best deals in aged spirits, full stop. Today we're looking at what is almost certainly their biggest product, the younger sibling of that 10yo. It's a slivovitz that spends five years in... stainless steel? glass? large wooden vat? Who knows, but it's cheap and it's strong and it's everywhere. (This is also a bit of a sequel to the Kosher Spirits video,    • Keeping Kosher with Spirits: Some Basics  , from a year ago. Did you know that most of the whiskies from Buffalo Trace, Bowman, and Barton are actually treif, despite featuring no components that an idolater like myself could have contaminated? Yeah, turns out there's this thing in the Passover rules...) Anyhow, back to Jelínek (or Jelinek, for the sake of SEO): R. Jelínek 5 Year Old Kosher Slivovitz Plum Brandy (Rudolf Jelínek Distillery, Vizovice, Czech Republic; "triple distilled," L260922, bottled circa 2022; 50% ABV), 82+/100 Aside from the worst-fitting screw top I've ever seen on a commercial product, this is exactly what I'm looking for from an entry-level bottle: it's clean, it hasn't been tampered with too much, it's representative of the style, and in general it's a pleasure to drink. I'd love to have a version pulled off the still a few plates lower, but whatevs. Highly recommended once they fix the darn closure mechanism. Also, just for fun, have a simple Slivovitz-based cocktail! After a quick check of The Flavor Bible I came up with: THE PLUM NUT SOUR 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz orgeat 1 1/2 oz slivovitz 1 dash Angostura pinch of cinnamon Combine ingredients, shake with ice, strain into whatever glass is handy. Garnish with a lemon peel and an extra pinch of cinnamon. Cheers! Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon (  / differentspirits  ) - Eric Amig Jamie Brown Kingsbury bushcraft Rob D Joe Devine Steve Frazee John Halliday Jason Newquist No Thanks Matthew Ruiz RumSquirrel Dallas Shatel Chris Sherman Gordon W Zach W