My Wandering Eye: The Laird's Apple Brandies That I Purchased in 2021 and Then Forgot About.

My Wandering Eye is an ongoing series reacting to the rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going to be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. I hope to see if another spirits category offers something downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits but to maximize the quality I’m getting at a particular price point. The reviews in this series will all be written through a bourbon drinker’s lens.

I’m known amongst friends and family as the “absent-minded one.” Now, mind you, most of them don’t say it to my face. But you can tell that it is common knowledge among my family that if you want Eric to remember something, make sure that you tell his wife too. Or skip Eric entirely and just go straight to his wife.

Nothing proves my point on this more than the posts for this wee… Wait just a damn minute. This seems awfully familiar.

So now that you’ve gone back and read all about the history of Laird & Co that I wrote last week, I can tell you that these two bottles were actually purchased quite a while ago. See, I was watching a lovely cooking/history channel on YouTube called Tasting History with Max Miller when he put up one of his “Drinking History” episodes. That’s right, history, cooking, and drinking. If you know me, you know why I like this show. My wife likes it because, apparently, he has the prettiest blue eyes and she likes to look at them.

So in this particular episode, that I can’t remember the details of, he was using a bottle of Laird’s Old Apple Brandy in a historical cocktail. Laird’s Old Apple Brandy is a seven and a half year old apple brandy that is bottled at 80° proof from Laird & Co. out of New Jersey. I was smitten with the drink and the idea of having a bottle of said brandy in my house. So smitten, that I immediately went to his sponsor, Curiada.com who coincidentally carried the exact brandy that he was using.

What are the odds?

I also picked up a bottle of Laird’s Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy as well. And then I set them on my shelf, waiting for an opening to come up in the editorial calendar. Then I forgot about them because…well…I’m guessing something shiny entered my field of view and I was consumed with that instead. It really is a wonder that I’ve been doing this for over a decade without getting distracted and wandering away.

So, let’s dig in and see how they taste.

Laird’s Old Apple Brandy – 7 1/2

Purchase Info: Currently $41.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Curiada.com. I paid a little less than that in 2021.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.80

Details: 40% ABV. 7.5 years old

Nose: Apple juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Mouth: Apple juice, nutmeg, and a touch of oak.

Finish: Gentle, yet with a little heat. Notes of apple juice and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is delicious. Lots of apple flavor. Just a touch of oak, enough to alter the flavor, but not enough to get in the way of the delicious apple. My only quibble on it is that I wish it was a higher proof. It's just a bit too gentle for my tastes. But that is a small quibble. Yum.

Lairds Straight Apple Brandy Bottled in Bond

Purchase Info: Currently $37.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Curiada.com. I paid a little more than that in 2021.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.53

Details: 50% ABV. DSP-NJ-1

Nose: Brown sugar, apple, a touch of cinnamon, and a very floral vanilla.

Mouth: Floral vanilla, cinnamon, and just a touch of apple.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Powerful notes of apple juice and spicy cinnamon.

Thoughts: I think I know why the proof was lower on the 7 year version. The apple notes on this are pretty subdued compared to its lower proof older brother. Which is really the opposite that I'd have expected from an older product. I'd have expected the older one to have less influence from the wine and more from the barrel than the younger one. That said, this is nice and spicy and the apple really comes through on the finish. I like this one. Hell, I like them both.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

My Wandering Eye: Laird’s 10th Generation Apple Brandy – Bottled in Bond

My Wandering Eye is an ongoing series reacting to the rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going to be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. I hope to see if another spirits category offers something downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits but to maximize the quality I’m getting at a particular price point. The reviews in this series will all be written through a bourbon drinker’s lens.

IMAGE: A Bottle of Laird's 10th Generation Apple Brandy laying in a snow bank.

I’m known amongst friends and family as the “absent-minded one.” Now, mind you, most of them don’t say it to my face. But you can tell that it is common knowledge among my family that if you want Eric to remember something, make sure that you tell his wife too. Or skip Eric entirely and just go straight to his wife.

Nothing proves my point on this more than the posts for this week. I mentioned on Tuesday that I didn’t have a clue exactly when or where I had purchased that whiskey. Well, I have one better today. In doing research for tonight’s post, I was looking for some of the older posts that I’d done for other Apple Brandy releases from Laird’s. I knew that I’d purchased them last year just to review them. There was a bottled-in-bond release and a seven-year-old release. I bought them online after seeing them used in a YouTube cooking show.

The problem was that I never did write about them. They’ve been sitting on my shelf waiting for me. Patiently. Never complaining. Honestly, they seem like a couple of nice chaps. As I said, I only noticed them when I went looking for what I said about the company last year, and…yeah.

So let’s dig into the people who are making Laird’s Apple Brandy and see why this one is called 10th Generation. According to the Laird & Company website, their story starts in 1698 when Alexander Laird arrived in North America from Scotland. It seems he was a distiller back home and took up the trade in New Jersey using locally abundant apples. There is a reason they claim to be America’s Oldest Distiller.

The Laird family had a small operation until around 1850 when a fire destroyed the Inn where they made their AppleJack. Before then, they’d had a reputation for good spirits. They are even mentioned in the diary of George Washington, who requested their recipe for “cyder spirits.” After the fire, they decided that since they were rebuilding, they might as well build big and started to explore a wider commercial production.

Since that time, they have followed the path of many of the distillers. They made due during Prohibition by selling non-alcoholic apple products and medicinal spirits for the government. They helped with the war effort in World War 2, not by making industrial alcohol as other distilleries did (though they may have done that too) but by making pectin from their apples to help preserve food for the war effort. These days they are still run by the Laird family. A member of the eighth generation is currently the president of the company.

Ok, so why is tonight’s whiskey named after the tenth generation? Well, here it is straight from the product description:

For over two centuries, nine generations of the Laird family have been intimately entwined with the production of America’s oldest spirit, Applejack. To commemorate the historic event of a tenth generation Laird continuing our legacy, we proudly introduce “Laird’s 10th Generation Apple Brandy”. We invite you to celebrate with the Laird family and enjoy a taste of American history in every sip of this artisanal, hand crafted brandy.

So, now that we know the story let’s learn about the important part. How does it taste?

Laird’s 10th Generation Apple Brandy – Bottled in Bond

Purchase Info: $45.49 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.03

Details: Five years old. 50% ABV. Bottled-in-Bond. DSP-NJ-1.

Nose: Dried apple, brown sugar, cinnamon.

Mouth: Nice and spicy. Dried apple, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Finish: Medium to long and warm. More apple, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This might be my favorite apple brandy I've had yet. It features a strong apple flavor throughout that is missing from many other apple brandies that I've had. Plus, unlike many that are bottled at 80° proof, Laird’s 10th Generation is Bottled-in-bond and has enough proof and heat to keep this BourbonGuy happy. Big fan of this one.

Look for the “forgotten two” next week to see if this is better or worse than those.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

My Wandering Eye: Bas-Armagnac Delord, 25 ans d'âge

My Wandering Eye is an ongoing series reacting to the rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going to be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. I hope to see if another spirits category offers something downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits but to maximize the quality I’m getting at a particular price point. The reviews in this series will all be written through a bourbon drinker’s lens.

IMAGE: the Front label of Bas Armagnac Delord 25 year old.

I have a very bad habit of finding presents when I go shopping for them. But, it isn’t what you think. See I go shopping for other people and end up with presents for me. And it happens every year right around Christmas. I’ve mentioned in years past that my Dad is a big fan of brandy. Especially Korbel brandy. He joins his fellow Wisconsinites in that preference. Anywhere from between half and two-thirds of the yearly output of Korbel brandy is sold in Wisconsin.

When I was young, I’d buy my dad a bottle of Korbel for Christmas. Soon I realized that he was buying multiple handles of Korbel throughout the year and really didn’t need me to get him his favorite brandy. So I started branching out to other varieties of Korbel brandy, VSOP, XS, etc. I even was able to find him a 12 year old version of Korbel after a friend of mine gave me a blind taste from his bottle. These days, I try to find him something new every year. Just to give him something a little special. And this year is no exception. I found him a bottle of Laird’s 10 Generation, five year old Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy. Look for a review of that in the coming weeks since I couldn’t pass up a bottle for myself as well.

But tonight we are looking at an Armagnac that cost a bit more than that and is just a bit older as well. So, you may be asking, what is Armagnac anyway? That’s a very good question. And honestly I only have the smallest idea. I know that it is from the Armagnac region of France…and that’s about it. So let’s do what any good citizen of the internet would do and look it up on Wikipedia:

Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release. Production is overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA).

Huh, that’s a lot of words to say “made in Gascony, France, made from grapes, distilled once in a column still, and aged in oak. But what do you expect from an encyclopedia? they aren’t really meant to be entertaining. One interesting tidbit from further down the article is that apparently we can thank Armagnac for all the spirits we enjoy today as it was “the oldest brandy (and liquor) recorded to be still distilled in the world. In 1310, Prior Vital du Four, a cardinal, wrote of its 40 virtues.” So there’s that.

My love of Armagnac stems from the fact that you can usually find a very delicious bottle that is in the 15-30 year range for less than the price of a small car. I even have one that was distilled in 1968 in my closet that I got for less than $300. That’s 50 years of age (I bought it a few years ago). Bourbons in that price range are in the mid to low teens. Or don’t have a stated age at all. Tonight’s brandy was had for less than $100.

Here is what the producer had to say about it (translated from French by Google translate…translated from Google translate to understandable English by me):

Made from Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Baco and Folle blanche grapes. Fermented with traditional vinification to obtain an aromatic, slightly acidic wine with a low alcohol content. Continuous distillation in column stills equipped with “spider-legged” trays. Aged in new French oak barrels (strong toast) then a finished in “semi-exhausted” or even “exhausted” barrels leading to over 25 years in oak. 40% ABV.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Bas-Armagnac Delord, 25 ans d'âge

Purchase Info: $91.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50mL): $6.13

Details: Age 25 years in oak barrels. 40% ABV.

Nose: Toffee, dried fruit, coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon candies.

Mouth: Caramel, cinnamon, dried fruit

Finish: Medium length and warm. Notes of chocolate, coffee, dried fruit, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon.

Thoughts: If you like a dried fruit note, this is really good. At 25 years old, it is running at a little less than $4 per year of age. That's less than half of what Heaven Hill's pricing strategy of $10-12 per year of age for their special releases (though admittedly the regular releases are in the $4-6 range per year of age). Like most brandies. I could wish that it had a little more proof on it. But that might obscure the nuance of the palate. Overall though this is a nice thing to throw on the special shelf with all the other things I don't want to go through too fast. And heck, even my wife who doesn’t usually care for brandy says she like this one. All in all, I’m pleased with my present. And for the record, I did end up sharing it with my Dad too. As he does every year he informed me that he liked it and that it was “almost as good as his Korbel.”

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

OSMO Salt x Four Roses Toasted Vanilla Bourbon Salt

This jar of OSMO salt and a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch were provided as part of a media kit to announce the launch of the product with no strings attached.

Sorry about missing Tuesday. I was out on a rare date with my wife. We went out for lunch, we went to antique stores, we went to record stores, and we stopped off at a local brewery. It was a lovely day spent with the love of my life. I wouldn’t necessarily call it romantic. I mean, we stared at our phones more often than we stared into each other’s eyes while we had our beers. But after 25 years of marriage, I think that the fact that we are still talking to one another and consider each other best friends is romantic enough to count. So…yeah. Let’s just say we were out on a romantic Day Date that was too much fun to allow for writing.

And it is with romance in my heart that I write about tonight’s…salt?

Bill? Is that right? Salt? Are we talking about salt tonight? You know this is a bourbon site, right? Ok, I sure hope you know what you are doing here.

Yes, dear reader, salt. Salt that is a co-branded collaboration between Four Roses Bourbon and OSMO Salt. Now, why did I bring up romance at the beginning? Well, as we all know, the foundation legend of the Four Roses brand involved a young man who was looking to marry a young lady. He asked her to wear a corsage of four roses to the ball if she was going to accept his proposal. And, as the legend has it, she did just that. It’s a nice story. There is evidence that it is nothing more than a legend, but what would be the fun in that? And besides, Valentine’s Day is coming up soon.

So, how does this salt taste? What makes it different than other salts that you might have on hand? Well, it is sweet. I’ll have tasting notes below, but here is what the PR firm had to say:

Four Roses was built on a 134 year old love story, making the bourbon the perfect spirit to toast with on Valentine’s Day. This year, Four Roses sought out to create an offering to elevate the date-night-in and make restaurant quality drinks and meals right at home. Tapping OSMO Salt -  the premium salt company created by celebrity Chef Nick Digiovanni intended to easily turn homemade dishes into Michelin-quality meals - for its first-ever culinary collab, the result is the new Toasted Vanilla Bourbon Salt, perfect for rimming bourbon drinks and for home chefs to add a robust yet sweet final touch to meals. 

OSMO Salt x Four Roses Toasted Vanilla Bourbon Salt

Purchase Info: This sample was provided free of charge by the producer for review purposes. It can be purchased from the OSMO website for $18.99 for a 3.5 oz jar. You can also buy the salt with a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch from ReserveBar for $60.99.

Nose: This is a caramel and vanilla bomb on the nose.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, and coconut, which transition into salt as the flavors wash off.

Thoughts: I'm probably not the target market for this, as my usual cocktail is whiskey in a glass. I like it as much as I like any salt, but I’m not really a “glass rimmer,” if you know what I mean. That said, though, if you make cocktails on the regular, this could be an interesting addition to your tool kit.

Along with the salt and bourbon came a cocktail recipe that I quite enjoyed. Created by Abby Martinie, Four Roses brand ambassador and mixologist, it contains raspberries, bourbon, Crème de Cacao, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Of course, the drink is garnished with tonight’s salt, as seen in the photo above. I really like this one. And if you are a person who likes pink, fruity drinks (or know someone who does), this is one that it wouldn’t hurt to keep in your recipe holder.

Twisted Sour

  • 1.5 oz Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

  • 0.5 oz Crème de Cacao

  • 0.75 oz lemon juice

  • 0.5 oz brown sugar syrup

  • 3-4 muddled raspberries

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Rim rocks glass with Osmo Toasted Vanilla Bourbon Salt. Double strain over fresh ice into a rimmed rocks glass.

Cocktail Thoughts: If you like raspberry, this is pretty good. I'm not convinced the salt adds more than an aesthetic touch after the first sip, but if you are making a cocktail for your loved one (and the theme of the night is romance, after all), you might as well make it as pretty as possible, right? Though the smell of the salt on the rim does add a little bit of a sweet note as you sip.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

The Whiskey Grail

The product in this review was sent at no charge for review purposes with no strings attached.

Glassware. It’s made of glass, right? I mean, it’s right there in the name. Glassware. All of the best glasses are made of glass. Glazed ceramic is cool if you have a coffee mug, or you like to support your local pottery shop, or you frequent your local Renaissance Faire with a mug of ale (Faire with an extra E to make it olde timey). But otherwise, good old glass works best for glasses. Plastic? Not on this guy’s watch. Especially with whiskey.

No, sir. I’m pretty stuck in my ways. If you pour me a glass of whiskey, nothing beats glass. Or so I always thought until I got an email from the folks behind tonight’s product review. See they make themselves a wooden whiskey glass. With a charred inside.

Now, as you might expect with my previously professed love of glass glasses, I was a little skeptical of the world’s need for a wooden glass. But the emailer was nice enough to say kind words about me and the blog. And since I love talking about myself and hearing compliments, I took a second look at their email. I did make my, and I’m assuming your, skepticism apparent to them, though. Here is the email I sent back to them:

Thanks for reaching out. I’d be happy to take a look at a Grail. If it is something that I think my readers might like I’ll be happy to talk about it on BourbonGuy.com. I’ll warn you though, my readers are a very frugal and skeptical bunch, and are happy to let people know it so I have to be straight with them and not blow smoke up their nethers about products. 😁

If that meets with your approval, you can send a sample to the address below.

See, after over a decade of blathering at you lovely people, I like to think I know you pretty well. I don’t want to waste your time on gimmicks or products like “whiskey stones” that just seem like they would offer more chipped teeth than chilled whiskey. I don’t do gift guides for that reason. Because we all know what would be on it.

BourbonGuy.com 2022 Holiday Gift Guide

  1. Your Favorite Bourbon

  2. Your Favorite Rye

  3. A glass?

  4. And, of course, stuff from the BourbonGuyGifts.com Merch Store.

Anyway, listing number three in the gift guide brings me back to the Whiskey Grail, which is what these fine folks from Georgia call their wooden whiskey cup. And let me tell you, as skeptical as I was about this product, I like it. It fits in my hand amazingly. It looks cute. And believe it or not, it does add an oaky note to a glass of whiskey when you try it side-by-side with the same whiskey in a glass made from good ol’ glass. The oaky note seems to be because you are sticking your mouth on a piece of wood, not that your whiskey is being infused with extra oak. But in any case, the claim of adding an oak note to your whiskey is true as far as I my mouth can tell.

IMAGE: I like this glass so it gets a smile.

So should you buy it? The cups run from $30 to $35, depending on if you want their logo engraved on it or not. I probably wouldn’t have purchased it for myself if I had seen it in a store. But if I was at a craft fair (no e) or a festival? There is a better-than-even chance it would have come home with me. Honestly, this would make a fun gift for a playful whiskey lover.

Don’t get it for the curmudgeons who only want to drink out of a Glencairn, though. They don’t usually understand fun.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.