• Category: arak
• Alcohol: unknown, presumably around 50%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: unknown
• Bought at: Harb Gmbh, Berlin, Germany

This is another arak from Zahle, Lebanon, that I bought in Berlin. The brand is called “Waterfalls of the Bardouni river”, which is the river that flows through Zahle. And, of course, Zahle is the wine and arak capital of Lebanon, located in the Bekaa valley. The label is rather scanty; there is no mention of producers, alcohol content, or any other piece of information. There is only the name, and a telephone number in Zahle. I haven’t seen it for sale in Lebanon anywhere, so it quite likely is of a small producer. But in any case it is certainly one of good quality; the fellows at Harb, Berlin, liked it over the other brands! 7/10

• Category: arak
• Alcohol: 53%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: Tarek Youssef Ghantous et frères
• Bought at: Maroush Deli, London, UK

Many people get really drunk from arak; in the case of bad arak the hangover is awful; in case of good arak there is no hangover. Of course this law does not apply for everybody in every situation. On an empty stomach even the best arak would get you totally wasted. However, if you do drink a lot of arak, yet do not get a hangover, then you can rightfully draw the conclusion that the arak was of high quality. This arak indeed is of high quality, and this is an established fact…
Arak al Karram comes from Zahle, Lebanon. 8/10.

External link: Arak al Karram official site

• Category: arak (on the basis of grapes)
• Alcohol: 53%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: Massaya &Co.
• Bought at: Le Vieux Télégraphe, Bédarrides, France (thanks Bob!)

Arak Massaya is one of the most prestigious brands of arak available, and the bottles are beautiful. The photo shows two bottles, one of the “anniversary edition” and one regular. Definitely recommendable if you have the chance to try it. The flavour reminds of herbs and licorice, and it is not sweet. Arak massaya matures six to twelve months in clay jars, which apparently gives off the licorice-like taste. 8/10.

External link: Massaya official site

• Category: arak (on the basis of grapes)
• Alcohol: 53%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: Chateau Musar
• Bought at: Ton Overmars, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Chateau Musar is one of the best known Lebanese wineries, and they also make a high quality arak. The smell is outspoken aniseed, and rather spicy, because the sweet hints that usually accompany the smell of aniseed are absent. It also smells quite alcoholic, maybe because of the same reason. The taste is also spicier and less sweet, and more complex. These characteristics might well be related to the fact that it is distilled four times, whereas three times is more usual. But it could also be related to the fact that it has aged for a year in terracotta jars. In either case this extra attention is a good investment. According to the description of Chateau Musar it can also be drunk pure. Even though it is less harsh than other araks, I still find it too strong to drink it pure. In any case it gets the highest rating so far: 8.5/10.

External link: Chateau Musar official site

• Category: arak (presumably on the basis of grapes or sugar)
• Alcohol: 48%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: Factory for Alcoholic Drinks
• Bought at: Mesopotamian restaurant, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Arak Laytany is one of the cheapest brands available, and this is clearly reflected in the quality. It tastes very simple and even a little chemically, and I suspect it is either not made of fermented grapes (or not entirely), but on sugar or some other product. It also seems sweeter than proper arak. Better buy a different brand. 5/10.

• Category: arak (on the basis of grapes)
• Alcohol: 53%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: Chateau Ksara
• Bought at: Liquor store, Draguignan, France

Arak Saïbada is identical to arak Ksara, since it is produced by Chateau Ksara. It is renamed and distributed in France by Ricard as part of their series Anis du Monde (Aniseed drinks of the world), together with Ouzo Atéikos from Greece and Raki Fesaya from Turkey. For some reason it smells and tastes (almost) identical to arak Fakra, and therefore the same points that I wrote for Fakra count for Saïbada: very good, but not as intense as possible. 8/10.

External link: Ricard Anis du Monde
External link: Chateau Ksara official site

• Category: arak (on the basis of grapes)
• Alcohol: 55%
• Origin: Lebanon
• Manufacturer: Chateau Fakra
• Bought at: Cairo Airport, Egypt

Arak Fakra is one of the best known brands of Lebanese Arak, and it is available in various duty-free shops across the Middle East. Moreover it is generally regarded as one of the better commercially available brands, and the quality indeed is good. The aroma is not very intense, and but the taste is nice and full. Even though it is not the best arak I have ever tasted, it does belong in the higher regions. 8/10.

External link: Chateau Fakra official homepage