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.
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