About the Producer
Copper and Kings of Louisville, KY is one of the most prominent craft brandy producers in the US. They go after a very bourbony profile with aging in ex-bourbon barrels and new charred oak and they are even on the KY Bourbon Trail.
Copper and Kings uses exclusively pot distillation and in the past was a mix of their own distillate and sourced brandy. They told me in a recent distillery visit that they are almost exclusively using their own distillate now. For their own distillate they use California grapes and ferment in CA and have the wines shipped to KY for distillation. Their aging cellar has music pumped into it 24/7 and they claim the vibrations adds to the aging. Kind of gimmicky but it doesn’t hurt anything.
NOTE: this brandy is way too hot at the bottling proof of 71.8%. I’ve experimented and found that ~55% is the best proof for me so that’s what I’ll be reviewing it at. Also sadly it sold out almost instantly. I recommend next time one goes on sale not to sit on it but get it quickly.
Details
- Made from a blend of MI apples
- 71.8% abv
- Aged 9 years in 1st fill ex bourbon barrels.
- Double pot distilled.
Nose
Fresh juicy apples. Honey Nut Cheerios. Cinnamon and oak spice Exactly what I’d expect a great American apple brandy to smell like. Very intense but still balanced.
Palate
Same notes as the nose, just rearranged. Oak and oak spice at the forfront followed by dry apple cider. Lots of baking spices with cinnamon nutmeg and cloves. Honey and oats show up at the back end. Huge flavors.
Finish
Long and medium sweet with apples, oak and honey.
Rating: 7
Overall
Way too hot at bottling proof, this is great at 55%. It’s still a big bruiser of an apple brandy. Tasty with a tremendous amount of flavor. Would get another bottle if there were more available.
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
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