Laird's Bottled In Bond Straight Apple Brandy

Wow! This is among the most distinct and rare spirits I've experienced, and I'm thrilled I tried it. I enjoy apples and spirits, and this fulfills both desires. The aroma resembles a freshly sliced honeycrisp, though with a slight yeasty and alcoholic scent. It also possesses a bourbon-like quality in its smell and flavor, likely from the wood aging and the fruit's sugar content. It evokes the feeling of your grandmother baking a rich apple pie and then adding a splash of Kentucky's finest spirit. The taste is sweet, zesty, and warming, with a mild burn due to its strength. A subtle, pleasant tang accompanies a fittingly fruity essence. Significantly more caramel is perceived on the palate than in the aroma. It's easy to understand why some liken it to a candy apple. It's incredibly comforting and autumnal, more so than any other spirit imaginable. The conclusion is moderate, featuring more sweet and tart apple notes along with a hint of baking spice. Some bitterness is present but fades quickly, leaving only the fruity apple notes on the taste buds, triggering recollections of fairs and sprawling orchards bearing the round fruits that led to humanity's first transgression. In summary, this is absolutely fantastic. Despite being a brandy, it carries undeniable whiskey-like characteristics in my opinion. Perhaps apples are a grain? Who knows? Regardless, the apple flavor is apparent throughout, and its subtle complexities make the experience profoundly enjoyable, no matter how you consume it. I'm eager to try it in an Old Fashioned soon, but it's excellent enough to be savored neat or on ice without any reservations. I'm awarding a high score due to its uniqueness and enjoyment factor. It doesn't receive a perfect score because there are few comparable spirits. This might not seem logical, but I make my own rules. Get over it!

A bit light with some mineral, floral spices, and light apple, but also a fair amount of alcohol. There's a little dry woodiness, but not much. Compared with another apple brandy, this is thin, a bit harsh, and emphasizes the alcohol. The other doesn't taste old so much as concentrated in flavor, but this tastes young and is kind of harsh. I'd put this substantially below both that and another brand. I get some nice floral apple flavors here and a bit of spice, mineral, and some banana, but there just isn't much fullness and there isn't a ton happening. This just tastes quite immature. It's refreshing, so it might be good in a spritzer or something, but the harshness, lack of complexity, and weakness are kind of problematic. The apple stays while the banana comes out a bit more. The floral mineral layer is still there and there's a hint of spice, but more of just the big burn than the spice. - Conclusion - I do like the fruitiness and light spiciness. It's kind of refreshing with that. I'm not such a fan of the minerality or general lightness. The harshness is an active problem. This is growing on me for sure, but I'm still skeptical. It's definitely not as good as something like another specific apple brandy. Still, the harshness starts to give and the sweetness starts to balanced things out. I've thought as low as 7 and as high as 14 for this. So it's not great no matter what. Still, I'm now thinking of a 10 to 13, which is certainly a higher expected value. Considering the harshness and underwhleming flavor, I think I'm going to have to land on a 10 here. Thank you, a friend, for the sample.

Nose: apple cider, powdered sugar, caramel, vanilla, grape, orange blossom, mildly bitter herbal notes, noticeable ethanol burn. Taste: sour apple, mint, bitter herbal and floral notes, caramel, vanilla, grape, tannic oak, apple skin, clove, moderate alcohol bite, finishes quickly with bitter herbal, apple pith, and tannic oak flavors. This is the first apple brandy I've experienced. It sits in the middle of Laird's offerings, above their applejack but below some of their more aged products. I admit, the Bottled in Bond label on something other than whiskey caught my attention. I also discovered that Laird and Company is the oldest 'licensed' distillery in America, receiving License No. 1 from the Treasury department in 1780. That's quite interesting. On the nose, there's some apple cider alongside a pleasant powdered sugar note. There's a floral quality I perceive as orange blossom, but some bitter herbal aromas intrude, likely from the young, potent ethanol making its presence known. The palate is similar, but even more sour, bitter, and tannic notes emerge, making this almost undrinkable on its own. Overall, it's too immature. It reminds me of a VS or VSOP Cognac, showing potential for greatness but largely disappointing in its current state. I'm keen to try one of Laird's older bottlings, but unfortunately, this one will be best suited for mixing. In that role, it's adequate. I suggest trying an Autumn in Jersey cocktail, if by chance you happen to have this and orgeat available simultaneously.

Absolutely fantastic! Significantly better than the apple liqueur I tried years ago. The aroma is bursting with sour and Granny Smith apples, along with gentle caramel and vanilla notes, followed by a mild ABV burn. The taste delivers all that and more, just smoother than the aroma suggested. Abundant apple, caramel, and vanilla are present, along with baking spices, subtle vegetal notes, and a lingering burn. Truly delightful on its own, but I'm certain it would create an interesting Manhattan, an Old Fashioned, or even be delicious mixed with cola. Cheers!

Neat in a Glencairn at home. The nose has apple peel, earthy soil, and some ethanol. The taste is sharp apple with a distinct bite, hints of mild clove and black pepper, with lingering heat. It drinks hotter than the standard non-BiB 100 proof. I favor the 10th Generation BiB. 4/6/20.

This was my initial experience with Apple Brandy, and I was not let down. Every serious American bartender ought to keep this bottle on hand. Lairds is the first licensed American distillery.