Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/674905
96 / the tasting panel /may 2016 CATEGORY REPORT Some brands re-shape their cat- egory, elevating it to new heights and challenging others in the field to meet the higher bar they have set. Other brands cease to be defined and instead craft new classifications all of their own. Copper & Kings has done just that, stepping boldly out of the gate, declaring the arrival of the finest American Brandy—a style influenced by American whiskey and American music. How fittingly all-American for a company based in Butchertown, Louisville, Kentucky. Copper & Kings produces pure pot-distilled American brandies, non-chill filtered and unadulter- ated by boisé or caramel color. Matured in Kentucky bourbon barrels and sonically aged by rock 'n roll pulsation, no "top-up" spirit dilution is allowed during maturation. As Copper & Kings Distillery Owner Joe Heron says, "full integrity intact." American Craft Distilled Brandy (SRP $35) is a unique, feisty, rambunctious, non- derivative, American style brandy. At 90 proof, it offers both structure and balance and a signature long, smooth brandy finish. The spirit is aged in Kentucky bourbon and medium-char new American oak barrels. Muscat de Alexandrie, Chenin Blanc and Colombard are the primary grape varietals. At 124 proof, Copper & Kings Butchertown Brandy (SRP $60) is as audacious and confident as brandy gets. Copper pot-distilled and blended from distiller selected reserve casks, this small-batch brandy is aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels and a higher percentage of medium-char new American white oak barrels that impart balance and complexity during the maturation process. A golden mahogany color beckons, hinting at bold flavors, with vanilla and caramel on the nose and stone fruits on the tongue. A whiskey- like profile lends serious structure mid-palate, leading in to a velvety finish. A seamless brandy-to- bourbon cross over, Butchtertown Brandy offers a seriously unique American style and taste profile. Copper & Kings Immature Brandy (SRP $30). Un-aged, 90 proof, non-chill filtered, double distilled in Vendome copper pot-stills, using 100% Muscat grapes. A fresh, crisp, clear brandy with smooth texture, rounded mouthfeel and a complex floral flavor uncharacteristic of un- aged spirits. For those looking beyond neutral, clear spirits. Versatility a mixologist dreams of. Grapes can't have all the fun. Copper & Kings American Apple Brandy (SRP $45) is made from a blend of copper pot–distilled apple brandies, aged in bourbon barrels and Sherry casks with a minimum age of four years. The 100-proof spirit offers a pleasant aroma of honey and butterscotch leading to a spicy, crisp finish. Apple Brandy (SRP $30). Unfiltered, un-sulfited apple wine is distilled just twice in Vendome copper pot-stills to create this 90 proof un- aged apple-brandy. Non-chill filtered, without any addition of grain-neutral spirit, or apple flavor or essences, it features a concentrated natural apple nose and flavor with structure and depth of character and a non-candy apple note and dry apple finish. —Becky Tsadik COPPER AND KINGS AMERICAN BRANDY COMPANY Of Copper & Kings A KENTUCKY-BASED BRANDY CAPTURES ALL-AMERICAN FLAVOR