About the producer:

Beaver Pond is a small distillery from central Massachusetts that specializes in producing brandy especially unaged eau-de-vie and aged apple, grape and bear brandies. There aren’t many details on the distillery out there and it doesn’t look like they typically allow visitors. What I did find out is that they source the majority of their fruit from MA with some, like apricot and cherries, from upstate NY. The distillery was started and is operated by a guy named Jerry Friedman, a former immigration lawyer who started the distillery as a second career.

Even though they fly under the radar, I’ve seen them in a few stores in the Boston area and decided to get a few bottles. Their distillate is quite good so give them a chance if you’re in the area.

Details

• Not aged in oak. Not know if aged in neutral containers.

• Nectarines grown Massachusetts.

• Distilled on 50 gal pot still from Germany.

• 40% abv.

Nose

Very good. Fresh peach but with a bit more meat to it. Light sweetness and a good creaminess. Very clean and preserves the essence of the fruit but a hair lighter than I’d want.

Palate

Medium sweet with good amount of honey, white grapes and orange oil. Small amounts of fresh apricots and honey. Light weight and refreshing; texture is good and slightly buttery. Tasty but a bit delicate; would be excellent with a bit more oomph.

Finish

Fresh peaches and plums. Immediately tasty with a light sweetness and a great creaminess. Very similar to nose. Texture is very good with a velvety feel and nothing harsh or out of place. Light weight.

Rating: 6

Overall

Well this is the best nectarine brandy I’ve ever had. That isn’t saying much since it’s the only nectarine brandy I’ve ever had but it’s quite good and stands proud despite the low abv. The only downside is the short and flat finish which would be better at a higher abv. The texture and flavor though are great.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect