There are a few things that we always like about America ( O.K. many things, fine!), especially when it comes to its food and drink list. Whether its whiskey or its Cheeseburger or anything that is apple as well. No, I’m not talking Apple that gives some of the best technology, and no it’s not about Apple-Pie as well. It is actually about a drink that will surely be one of the favorites of many. We like to sip it when we are looking for something that is relatively more common than others. It is apple brandy, a spirit that every autumn seems to almost breakthrough to the mainstream, only to be misunderstood and tossed back into the pile of other seasonal offerings, like so many fallen leaves.
Bourbon has may have been always said to the American Spirit, but it was Apple Brandy that has been there even earlier in the colonials. One of the most popular fruit brandies is derived from apples. The first distillation of apple cider can be traced to the mid-sixteenth century. Normandy is one of the few regions in France that does not raise world-class grapes. It is France’s “apple country.” The sweet and hard cider from this region is distilled into an Apple Brandy known worldwide as Calvados. This pot stilled brandy is usually aged for at least two years and for as long as twenty years in French oak casks.
American apple brandy was very popular during the Colonial Age. It is the original distilled spirit in the colonies dating to 1630. Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington distilled apple brandy. In 1698, Scottish distiller William Laird began aging his apple brandy in oak, in New Jersey. (Today, Laird & Company continues a 300-year tradition of producing Apple Brandy and Applejack.) American apple brandy is often confused with “Applejack.” Dating back to the colonial period, Applejack was usually an unaged spirit produced by allowing fermented cider to freeze and then separating the unfrozen spirits. Today, most spirits labeled as “Applejack” are produced through distillation (as apple brandy has always been) and then mixed with other neutral spirits. Apple brandy is always composed of 100% distilled apples.
Today’s brandies are made in a variety of ways in countries throughout the world. As seen in the rating classifications of brandy, even the lowest rated ones are called “very superior,” leaving many to think of finely aged brandies as luxury items. Brandy has not reached the commercial success of vodka, or even of whiskey in this country, but brandy has carved out a historical niche that places it among the most popular spirits in the world.
When it comes to its a process, aged apple brandy is a spirit distilled from just 100% apples and aged in oak barrels for mellowing, development and integration of flavors. Aged apple brandy is made by fermenting fresh apples into a hard cider, which is then distilled. Post distillation, the spirit is aged in oak barrels. The flavor profile is relative to the apple varieties used, type of oak and maturation period. A well-made brandy will have the sweetness of apple fruit in the nose with an underlayment of vanilla and caramelization from the oak.
Here some of the best Apple Brandy that you can try this Holiday season, perfect for the cold nights and especially for any family gathering.
LAIRD’S 100 PROOF
As long as the history of Apple Brandy goes, so does Laird’s history of manufacturing it goes as well. Since 1698, some 12 generations of the Laird family have lived in or around this tiny Monmouth County village, making history and, yes, Applejack. The family’s business, Laird & Company, is the oldest commercial distillery in the United States and one of the country’s oldest family businesses.
Laird’s 100 is bold and fruit-forward, with notes of vanilla and toffee, not unlike an American whiskey. The proof means it’s a bit hot, and while it drinks fine on its own, it’s preferable to use it in cocktails. Try it in the place of any brandy drink, like a Vieux Carré, for a unique twist.
ST. GEORGE CALIFORNIA RESERVE
Bay Area distillery St. George was founded in 1982 by German immigrant Jörg Rupf. Since then, it has defined itself as one of the premier American craft distilleries, with a focus on gin, vodka and fruit brandies. The California Reserve apple brandy is an elegant example, with apple clear and present on the nose, like a fresh harvest. The palate is vivid, bright and delicate for 86 proof. Drink it neat or as a highball with a squeeze of citrus zest.
The barrel-aged apple brandy is like an apple orchard in your glass, with soft honey and cinnamon notes present. Made from a field blend of local apples sourced from a single family-owned orchard within 150 miles of the distillery. The 2015 release was aged in French and American wine casks, along with used B&E Bourbon and St. George Single Malt Whiskey casks, and began rolling out in November 2015. Very limited!
CLEAR CREEK RESERVE
Clear Creek Reserve Apple Brandy, Aged 8 years, is a worthy competitor to the best Calvados, the regional French apple brandy. They crush and ferment whole Golden Delicious apples from the Yakima Valley, and distill the whole fruit mash. Following the customs of the Calvados makers of Normandy, the apple spirit is aged in a combination of old and new French Limousin oak barrels for a minimum of eight years. The result is a beautiful, amber brandy with a remarkable amount of apple in the nose, and the sophistication and complexity gained from the years in oak. Reserve Apple Brandy has a lot of appeal to the traditional brandy drinker as well, as its color and barrel-aged qualities are more familiar.
CEDAR RIDGE APPLE BRANDY
This winery-turned-distillery in Iowa makes a variety of aged spirits, but for whiskey lovers looking to get into the apple brandy game, we favor the maturity of Cedar Ridge’s apple brandy. Family owned Cedar Ridge is both a distillery and a winery, the only one like it in its state of Iowa. The apple brandy is a small-batch production, distilled twice and aged two years in American oak and French Limousin oak. The scent is rich and smooth, with a bit of straw, similar to a single malt. The palate brings some sweetness, with assertive spice and a warmth, perfect for a Midwestern winter, with strong apple notes on the finish.
COPPER & KINGS FLOODWALL
Named for the iconic protective wall that stretches behind their Butchertown distillery, Floodwall is a superb blend of superior, copper pot-distilled apple brandy aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels and 250-liter Oloroso sherry casks from Spain.
By blending American apple brandy with a minimum age of four years, they have created a full-bodied spirit at 100 proof alcohol strength. Floodwall is non-chill filtered with no post-distillation addition of apple flavor or essences, no Boisé (oak flavor or infusion), sugar or caramel color for an authentic, uncorrupted natural flavor and natural color.
A bold, rich brandy, Copper & Kings Floodwall American Craft is bottled at 100 proof after aging in a mix of bourbon and sherry barrels for a minimum of four years. It’s as assertive as any bonded bourbon, with notes of rich dried fruit and vanilla, and a bit of nuttiness from the sherry barrels. Try it as a Julep or over a large ice cube. Copper & Kings also bottles an unaged version of the brandy, a unique spirit that resembles an American White Dog Whiskey.
Koval Apple Brandy
Made from a blend of delicate Gala, Braeburn, and Pink Lady apples, Koval Distillery’s Apple Brandy is a departure from more aged versions, opting instead for a soft, clean personality. The Chicago-based company sources their crop from Washington and mashes at the distillery. Aged for a modest 6 months in American oak barrels, the brandy captures a green, almost piney apple flavor with hints of citrus and a full-bodied, creamy texture, ideal for drinking on ice or in a cocktail with other subtle ingredients so as to not overpower the elegant profile.
Germain Robin Apple Brandy XO
If you’re looking for a luxurious gift, consider Germain Robin’s Apple Brandy XO. It’s a blend of various vintage distillates from 1991 and onwards. Made from Black Twig, Ribston, Pippin, and Wickson apples distilled and aged in French Limousin oak, the XO is a sophisticated, complex, and exciting apple brandy that we wager could stand up to the classiest of Calvados. Rich Port-like dark berry flavors intertwine with intermittent moments of fresh apple and mature wood; with such depth and intrigue, this one is definitely served best in a proper brandy snifter for savoring.
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