Hum: Festival of homemade brandy

Now this is surely my favourite drinking event ever! Croats are particularly proud of their brandy (rakija) making skills. Give us anything, we’ll make a brandy out of it!

In Istria, the most popular spirit is the indigenous “biska”, mistletoe brandy. They even have their official biska capital – Hum. And this tiny little place, also known as “the smallest town in the world”, makes the perfect setting for such a laid-back and fun event like the festival of homemade brandy, taking place every last Sunday in October.

Everybody is on equal terms here and there are no stars. The event is organized as a competition of homemade brandies in several categories, starting from the first round all the way up to the finals. Visitors can taste all the samples as soon as they are eliminated from the competition, anxiously waiting for the winners.

But actually it doesn’t really matter who the winners are. Mingling with a bunch of cheerful people from all walks of life out in the sun, on a small cobblestone square in the middle of an old medieval town, sipping all possible and impossible sorts of brandies… Who can ask for more?

One thing is for sure – at the end you’ll have more friends than when you just arrived.

Here’s just a short list of curious brandies you’ll have a chance to taste: honey, olive, sour cherry, truffles, fennel, quince, rose, lemon, mint, cranberry, walnut, blueberry, laurel, rue…The atmosphere in Hum is something special.