Released in September of 2019, Copper & Kings American Apple Brandy is the second apple brandy to be released by the prolific Louisville distiller. At 92 proof it’s a touch gentler than their 100-proof Floodwall Apple Brandy, and like that earlier release it is pot-distilled, non chill-filtered, and free of any added apple flavors, essences, or coloring. But whereas the apple brandy used to make Floodwall was aged a minimum of four years in Kentucky bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks, the American Apple Brandy is merely finished in Kentucky bourbon and new American oak barrels.
This expression is unsurprisingly lighter in color than the Floodwall, and also lighter on the nose. Its chief aromas are crisp apple and honey, alongside an undercurrent of creamy vanilla and tannic oak. It starts light on the palate with round, fresh apple and vanilla, and rolls pleasantly towards the center where the sharp, tannic kick of new American oak comes in. The dry, oak-dominated center is followed by a complex finish that’s both fruity and floral and played off with just the faintest whiff of vanilla ice cream and apple pie against its long, steadily-holding background of spice.
This younger spirit is a departure from apple brandies that are dominated by baking spices and warm apple pie flavors. Copper & Kings American Apple Brandy is lighter, crisper, and certainly more floral, and sipping it feels more akin to biting into a fresh Golden Delicious apple and less like tucking into a warm dessert.
If you want to further test this brandy, I found that it has enough body to serve with distinction in a Jack Rose. It made for a drink that felt fresh, light, and quite appropriate for spring.
★★★
Stats:
— 46% ABV
— $35
