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Emperus

Emperus

Vasilije Senic was born in 1929 in the village of Viševac, the birthplace of the great leader Karađorđe. Vasilije was deeply committed to preserving the rich traditions of his people, particularly by making his own rakija.

Our story

In January 1953, his son Slobodan was born. In the same autumn, Vasilije planted his first plum orchard and planted the old, local varieties Požegača and Rankovača. Vasilije attached great importance to keeping his plums untreated and that all fruits were grown purely organically. When the plums were ripe, Vasilije purchased his first copper kiln for the rakija distillation. He strictly followed traditional production methods, but introduced a significant innovation by removing the seeds from the plums before fermentation. This process ensured that fermentation took place without seeds, which significantly improved the quality of the end product. Rakija was stored exclusively in barrels made from centuries-old oak trees that had been growing in the Serbian Mountains for centuries. This careful attention to tradition and quality gave Vasilijes Rakija a unique character that is deeply rooted in the heritage of the Serbian people.

Emperor Relics

When we look back at our beginnings, we remember the oldest barrels from our family treasure and the precious rakija they contained. These treasures represent our heritage. To uncover the true story of our oldest rakijas, we sent samples to the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) in Scotland, where radiocarbon analysis confirmed their remarkable age. Today, we proudly call these exceptional spirits our EMPERUS RELICS. The oldest distillate in our family collection was produced in the mid-20th century by Vasilije's father Dragomir. Since we lacked precise information about the production date of this distillate, we called on the expertise of the SUERC laboratory. Their analysis confirmed that the distillate was produced between 1935 and 1960. In 1957, Vasilije's grandfather harvested the fruits of his newly planted plum trees and carefully selected local varieties to produce a unique rakija. This rakija, which is now documented by a SUERC radiocarbon certificate, remains a valuable treasure in our collection, with 37 bottles that are stored with great care.

Production process

At EMPERUS, we are proud to combine modern scientific advances with time-honored traditions in our orchards. This approach ensures that we grow the best raw materials to produce our exceptional EMPERUS spirits. Our distillery holds three exclusive patents — innovations that are unmatched by any other distillery in the world. Thanks to the cutting-edge technology that we use at EMPERUS, we are able to produce the purest and highest quality fruit distillates. We only use hand-forged copper kettles to produce EMPERUS Rakija. Copper, known for its excellent thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, plays a crucial catalytic role in the distillation process. It binds sulfates and sulfides from the pomace and gives the alcoholic vapor product a rich, intense aroma and full flavor. EMPERUS distillates mature in oak barrels from the Serbian Mountains. This process is carried out under strictly controlled conditions, with our experienced technologists and winemakers closely monitoring every step to ensure perfection. One of EMPERUS' biggest secrets lies in our unique drum wrapping process. This technique, which we adopted from a renowned cognac manufacturer over 50 years ago, involves a careful, two-year barrel wrapping process. The result is a balanced product in which the wood underlines the natural taste and variety of aromas of rakija without masking it.

The 3 golden rules of EMPERUS

When we look back at our beginnings, we remember the oldest barrels from our family treasure and the precious rakija they contained. These treasures represent our heritage. To uncover the true story of our oldest rakijas, we sent samples to the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) in Scotland, where radiocarbon analysis confirmed their remarkable age. Today, we proudly call these exceptional spirits our EMPERUS RELICS. The oldest distillate in our family collection was produced in the mid-20th century by Vasilije's father Dragomir. Since we lacked precise information about the production date of this distillate, we called on the expertise of the SUERC laboratory. Their analysis confirmed that the distillate was produced between 1935 and 1960. In 1957, Vasilije's grandfather harvested the fruits of his newly planted plum trees and carefully selected local varieties to produce a unique rakija. This rakija, which is now documented by a SUERC radiocarbon certificate, remains a valuable treasure in our collection, with 37 bottles that are stored with great care.