How is Brandy Created?
Today’s brandy takes on numerous shapes and forms, delighting drinkers with unexpected expressions of the classic distilled wine. It’s often a favorite when enjoyed in cocktails such as the Sidecar and Brandy Crusta. If we’re talking old, old school, brandy even featured in early-1800s Mint Juleps. The distilled spirit also packs a punch as an after-dinner digestif when enjoyed by itself.
While brandy can be created anywhere in the world, the most well-known versions — Cognac and Armagnac — hail from two southwest regions in France. Grape-based brandies also abound in other countries, including the United States where it has deep, historical roots. Other styles of brandy might be created from apples (i.e. Calvados) or cherries, while famed Italian brandy grappa is based on the leftover pomace from winemaking.
While this infographic focuses primarily on grape-based expressions of brandy, fruit-based versions are also enjoyed worldwide. Follow the spirits’ journey, from vine to aged, distilled wine, in the graphic below.
Calvados: Getting To The Core Of French Brandy
Hundreds of apples go into making every bottle of this spirit so you can get a true taste of Normandy
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then what would a glass of Calvados do? Well, chances are it would make you feel pretty amazing. Calvados is a type of brandy that’s made by distilling apple cider (and sometimes pear cider as well) and once these products are distilled you end up with a concentrated cider which is high in alcohol content. This is then added to wooden barrels to round out the flavours and give them even more depth.
This spirit is traditionally homed to Normandy in France and in particular three different regions. Calvados, where you can distil the drink however you wish as long as it’s aged for at least two years. The second is Calvados Pays D’auge, where the spirit is distilled twice and aged for a minimum of two years. The third area is Calvados Domfrontais, where it’s distilled once but aged for at least three years with the most important factor being that it must contain at least 30% distilled pear cider.
How to Use Batavia Arrack in Cocktails
It’s not uncommon to find history repeating itself in the drinks world: Early modern cocktails are ripe for revival, disco is back, and many of the world’s oldest and most storied spirits are making a comeback.
Such is the case for Batavia arrack, a funky molasses- and rice-based spirit that originated on the Indonesian island of Java. Named after Java’s 17th-century, Dutch-colonized capital, Batavia arrack is among the oldest-known distilled spirits, and predates even rum (which would later surpass its predecessor in popularity, playing a part in pushing Batavia to the back shelf).
Trade routes brought the spirit to the Western world, where Batavia arrack enjoyed great popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries, establishing itself as an essential ingredient in punch—also a colonial import from the same region.
Do We Still Care If Whiskies Are Sourced?
About a decade ago, the phrase “sourced whiskey” elicited largely negative connotations. The rising throng of American whiskey enthusiasts at the time disliked the idea of non-distilling producers (NDP) buying others’ brown goods, bottling them and calling it their own. They accused NDPs of hiding their sources and their whiskies’ more revealing details.
But then as now, experienced drinkers understood that some of the nation’s most revered pours were sourced. And, not surprisingly, some of those outraged over NDPs’ label secrecy became fans of sourced bottles that gave rise to now-cult favorites like Willett, Old Scout, Whistle Pig, Jefferson’s, Kentucky Owl, Michter’s and others.
Why Bardstown Bourbon Co. Purchase of Green River Spirits Matters
In late June 2022, Bardstown Bourbon Co. announced they expected to close a deal to acquire Green River Spirits Company. This was a surprise move because even though Green River holds one of Kentucky’s oldest whiskey distillery DSP numbers, after years of disrepair, the distillery is only finally back up and running. Many bourbon enthusiasts might not even be overly familiar with the brand as they only just recently released their first bourbon and their distribution is still fairly limited. So why Green River and what does Bardstown Bourbon Co. have to prove with this acquisition?
In March 2022, Bardstown Bourbon Co. was purchased by Pritzker Private Capital, another sign big money players are continuing to invest heavily in bourbon’s future. A mere three months later the same group acquired Green River Spirits, and it probably won’t stop there given their possible endgame.
What makes this move more interesting than say Campari purchasing Wild Turkey, is that Bardstown Bourbon will affect a far-reaching segment of bourbon over the course of the next 5-10 years. While Campari purchasing Wild Turkey affected the Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve brands, Bardstown Bourbon purchasing Green River affects countless other brands which could have a ripple effect across the industry.
In Whiskey, Mistakes Lead to Unexpected Innovations
Human error and miscommunication is just one way chance plays a role in distilling. Another opportunity comes from one of whiskey’s most important variables. While science gives us weights and measures, wood comes from nature.
“Barrels are the one thing that we don’t have control over,” Myers says. “We can char it, but the wood, the size of the pores of the wood, all those things change, and they make the flavor different from barrel to barrel and batch to batch.”
That kind of variation can be a welcome tool for distillers, who rely on the differences among wooden barrels to compose complex and rewarding blends. But sometimes, the quirkiness of wood — and human craftsmanship — can force a distiller’s hand.
How Local Farms and Farmers are Contributing to the Region’s Craft Spirits Scene
How are local farms and farmers contributing to the region’s craft spirits industry? Their impact is more wide-ranging than what you might think.
This hour, we talk with farmers and distillers about their collaborative work, about how the pandemic has affected that work, and what’s next for the local growing and distilling scenes. Our guests:
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Jason Barrett, founder and master distiller at Black Button Distilling
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Mark James, manager of County Farm Bureau relations and development at the New York Farm Bureau
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Clayton Phelps, operations manager at Edgewood Farms LLC in Groveland, NY
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Judd Hallett, co-owner and operator of Murmuration Malts Artisanal Malthouse
Black Button Toasts to a Decade of Distilling
Black Button, which turns 10 in June, is the first major distillery to operate in Rochester since Prohibition.
Black Button will celebrate its 10th anniversary in June with the release of its longest-aged bourbon to date, a six-year-old offering that marks the distillery’s first release in 53-gallon barrels, the traditional size used in producing bourbon.
That six-year-old whiskey, the first round of which will be released in 100 commemorative decanters on June 2, marks a milestone for Black Button as the distillery shifts its focus to older and more distinct bourbons.
New York State Distillers Guid Announces 2020 Economic Impact Study: Black Button Distilling Makes their Mark on Empire State
According to annual research by the American Craft Spirits Association, over the last five years the number of craft distilleries popping up across the United States has been steadily growing by about 20% year over year. New York State has emerged as the second largest craft distillery stakeholder in the country, experiencing a 60% increase in craft distillers since 2016. Today, the New York State Distillers Guild is pleased to share a 2020 Economic Impact Study of the New York State Distilled Spirits Industry prepared on behalf of the Guild by John Dunham & Associates (JDA).
Behind the Scenes with Black Button Distilling
Black Button Distilling is the area’s first grain-to-glass craft distillery, which means they process everything in house. The distillery is dedicated to supporting New York State agriculture by sourcing 90 percent of the ingredients locally. Black Button sources their corn, wheat, barley, and rye from Edgewood Farms in Groveland, located in the Finger Lakes region.
