Review: Copper & Kings Apple Brandies – Deep Hearts Cut and Floodwall
Review: Copper & Kings Apple Brandies – Deep Hearts Cut and Floodwall
Copper & Kings, purveyors of some of the most interesting grape brandies made in America, has spread out to that other classic brandy-making fruit, the apple. The company recently launched two apple-based bottlings, an unaged expression (unusual ’round these parts) and a more traditional barrel-aged bottling called Floodwall.
Thoughts follow.
Copper & Kings Un-Aged Apple Brandy Deep Hearts Cut – Pure copper pot-distilled unaged apple brandy, with no additives, natural or otherwise. Rustic on the nose, as expected, with hospital notes, some astringency, ample florals, and just a hint of apple that pushes through all of that. On the palate you’ll find the apples make more of an impact, mingling with notes of peppermint and, surprisingly, caramel, a flavor normally associated with barrel aging. It’s a simple little white brandy, but it does showcase in a surprisingly pure way the essence of apple. 90 proof. B+ / $36
Copper & Kings Floodwall Apple Brandy – This is a blend of copper pot-distilled apple brandy aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels and 250-liter Oloroso sherry casks, at least four years old. The nose is typical of a younger apple brandy, somewhat pungent (but less rustic than the Deep Hearts Cut) with intense notes of cloves and nutmeg, and a smattering of Indian spices. The fruit is more evident on the tongue, here showing as well-caramelized apples, pie spices, dark chocolate, and molasses — though a somewhat vegetal note that builds on the finish is a bit of a distraction. Nice effort, though. 100 proof. B+ / $36
Copper & Kings Floodwall Apple Brandy
$36
