Is Applejack and apple brandy the same?
“Essentially applejack and apple brandy are interchangeable terms,” explains Lisa Laird Dunn, executive vice president of Laird & Co., which has been producing applejack for nine generations.
What brandy is made from apples?
Calvados
Calvados is a variety of brandy made from apples (and sometimes pears). Like Champagne, Calvados has to be grown in a certain region in order to be called Calvados, and that region is Normandy in northern France.
What apples make the best brandy?
“A lot of American brandies are made with sweet eating apples—Golden Delicious, Macoun, Gala,” says Robert Krueger, task force head bartender at JF Restaurants, “whereas a mix of bitter, sour, and other apples are used for distilling Calvados,” the classic Normandy brandy. Another distinction is the oak.
Who makes the best Applejack?
Laird & Company
Laird & Company is synonymous with apple spirits and three centuries of family distilling tradition. The company produces the vast majority of all Applejack and American Apple Brandy on the market, which have been enjoyed since colonial times and are equally prized by today’s mixology community.
What’s the difference between Calvados and apple brandy?
Unlike its cousin Calvados, American apple brandy doesn’t play by a strict set of rules. Calvados must be produced in the Normandy region of France and must be aged in oak casks for at least two years. Aged apple brandies can also be rich, supple and well rounded enough to drink straight, like a fine Cognac or Scotch.
How is lairds apple brandy made?
This apple brandy was introduced by Laird in 1964 and uses a 100% apple recipe for distillation. After distillation, the spirit is then aged in charred oak barrels for 7 1/2 years before being hand selected and then bottled at 80 proof.
What fruit makes the best brandy?
It’s any spirit distilled from fermented fruit juice, most commonly grapes. However, there’s also cherry brandy, fruit brandy, apple brandy, pear brandy, and other variants, many of which hail from assorted regions around the world. When it comes to the best brandies from the best brands, grapes do tend to dominate.
How much does Armagnac cost?
Indeed, you can expect Armagnac to cost as little as $40 for a V.S.O.P. The prices steadily increase as the blends use longer-aged grapes. Similarly, the Millésimes can cost around $50 and proportionately increase as the vintages become older.