The apple is a fixture in stories from the Garden of Eden to Isaac Newton. Its knowledge, temptation and deliciousness. The trees are bending under their weight in my garden this year! Never too far from booze, apple brandy is the soul of the orchard in sip.
Ferment apple juice (make a cider) and distill it to remove the rubbish and refine the delights. Out there is everything from fiery, unaged eaux-de-vie, as clear as water, to deeply amber-hued brandies that have napped for decades in oak barrels, gathering complexity, grace and charm.
There’s quite a contrast from the rugged, improvisational history of America's first native spirit, Applejack, with the refined, terroir-driven elegance of its most famous French cousin, Calvados and of course our own.
Long before bourbon staked its claim as America's native spirit, the first drops of truly American booze were distilled from abundant apple orchards. Apple brandy was the original distilled spirit of the American Colonies, its history stretching back to the 1630s, a full century before the birth of American whiskey.
In 1698, a Scottish immigrant named William Laird began distilling apples in Monmouth County, New Jersey, establishing what is now the oldest licensed distillery in the United States! Colloquially known as "applejack" or "Jersey Lightning," became a cornerstone of colonial life. George Washington wrote to the Laird family to request their recipe for his own distillery at Mount Vernon. Thomas Jefferson knocked out a bit too. The legend of Johnny Appleseed is less about providing eating apples and mostly about planting cider apple orchards. Applejack was at times even used as a form of payment for road construction crews in 18th-century New Jersey, but rum had served a similar purpose too.
Its name is from the traditional method of production known as "jacking," or freeze distillation: leave barrels of fermented cider outside during the harsh winter; as the temperature dropped, the water in the cider freezes into large chunks of ice. The different freezing points of water and alcohol help. Periodically, the farmers remove, or "jack," the ice from the barrels, leaving behind a slushy liquid with a higher concentration of alcohol, typically between 25% and 40% ABV.
The method has appeal: no expensive copper still and no firewood to create heat for distillation. In a time defined by self-sufficiency, jacking was a direct, almost brute-force way to achieve a stronger spirit. But - and it's a big one - while heat distillation allows separation of various compounds based on their different boiling points, freeze distillation concentrates everything indiscriminately… along with the desirable ethanol, you concentrate harmful congeners like methanol, aldehydes and fusel alcohols, which are normally removed as "heads" and "tails" in a traditional still. You’d have had to wait several hundred years to reach for the paracetamol! This combination of resourcefulness, pragmatism and a departure from safer, established European methods mirrored the broader narrative of the American frontier: a place of opportunity and danger, defined by its improvisation and its distance from Old World rules.
Apple brandy's reign as America's dominant spirit was not to last. Its popularity began to wane as westward expansion opened up vast lands for the cultivation of corn. This made whiskey cheaper for large-scale production, gradually supplanting apple brandy in the nation's bars and homes.
The final, devastating blow came with Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933 there was not merely a pause in production, but profound cultural and agricultural erasure. Federal agents oversaw the uprooting of thousands of acres of heirloom cider apple orchards, many of which had stood for generations. An invaluable agricultural heritage and generations of distilling knowledge disappeared. When booze production legally resumed in 1933, the industry was largely disconnected from its historic roots and apple brandy didn’t regain its footing.
Fueled by the 21st-century craft cocktail renaissance and a renewed cultural interest in heritage spirits, it has resurfaced a bit. Bartenders have recreated classic cocktails like the Jack Rose - a simple, elegant mix of applejack, grenadine and lime juice - and a few others, but only at the margins.
For now, the greatest source of confusion lies in the terminology. Historically, "applejack" and "apple brandy" were used interchangeably to refer to spirits distilled from apples. Today, the names can refer to two fundamentally different products, a schism that reflects a deeper cultural divide between industrial production and artisanal revival.
The split began in 1968. Consumer tastes shifted towards lighter spirits like vodka and gin, and whiskey producers began creating blended products to compete. Following this trend, Laird & Company worked with the federal government to establish a new standard of identity. Under this regulation, "applejack" is legally defined as a blended spirit, comprising a minimum of 20% apple distillate (apple brandy) mixed with neutral grain spirits and aged for at least two years in oak barrels. Their flagship product is a blend of 35% apple brandy and 65% neutral grain spirits.
The term "straight apple brandy" describes spirits that are distilled from 100% apples, with no neutral grain spirits added. Complicating matters further, many modern craft distillers have reclaimed the historical term "applejack" for their 100% apple brandy products. The name is used to evoke the romantic, pre-Prohibition tradition of American distilling. So "Applejack" exists in two parallel universes.
With the Bayeux Tapestry soon to arrive in the UK, that’s my shameless segue to Calvados!
Calvados is an apple - and sometimes pear - brandy from Normandy. Its identity is not merely defined by its ingredients but is inextricably linked to its geographical origin, or terroir. This connection is protected and defined by a rigorous legal framework known as the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC). The AOC system, administered by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO), is the bedrock of French gastronomy, applying to wines, cheeses, and spirits. It guarantees that a product is made in a specific geographical area, using legally mandated traditional methods and ingredients. This philosophy of regulation, which prizes tradition and regional identity above everything, establishes the fundamental difference between the worlds of Calvados and American apple brandy.
The world of Calvados is governed by three distinct AOCs, each with its own strict set of rules that dictate every step of production, from the orchard to the bottle. For instance, the AOC for Calvados Domfrontais, a region known for its damp, granite soils and long tradition of pear cultivation, mandates that the cider base must contain at least 30% perry pears. It is not a random choice but a reflection of what the land naturally and historically produces best, legally enforcing the taste of that specific place. The AOC for Calvados Pays d'Auge, considered the historical heartland of production, dictates double distillation in a traditional copper pot still. It produces a more complex and aromatic spirit suitable for long aging and the AOC rule preserves this specific, high-quality craft from being replaced by more efficient modern methods. The broader AOC Calvados, allows the use of more efficient column stills, allowing larger volume while ensuring a baseline of quality and regional character.
The AOC rules begins in the orchards, which contain over 200 named varieties of cider apples, most of which are too bitter or tannic to be eaten raw. They are classified into four categories: sweet, bittersweet, bitter and sharp (or acidic). Producers carefully blend varieties from these categories to create a balanced cider base with the desired structure, tannins and aromatics. A stark contrast to the American tradition, which often uses familiar culinary apples like Golden Delicious or Winesap.
Once harvested, the apples are washed, grated into a pulp and pressed to extract the juice, known as the must. This undergoes a slow, natural fermentation in vats. The AOC regulations forbid the addition of sugar, cultivated yeasts or the use of pasteurization, ensuring that the resulting cider is a pure expression of the fruit and sometimes quite funky. After a legally mandated minimum fermentation (21 to 42 days depending on the AOC), the cider is ready for distillation.
For the prestigious Calvados Pays d'Auge, a mandatory double distillation takes place in a traditional copper pot still, known as an alambic à repasse. In the first pass, the cider is distilled into a cloudy, low-proof spirit called the brouillis. In the second distillation, the distiller separates the "heads" and final vapors "tails", the aromatic "heart" of the spirit, known as the bonne chauffe is the goal. For the other AOCs, a more efficient single distillation in a column still is often used.
The final, colorless spirit or eau-de-vie, is laid down in French oak casks. Some producers even experiment with finishing their Calvados in casks that previously held other wines or spirits, such as Sauternes or whiskey.
To navigate the world of Calvados, it is essential to understand its aging classifications. Unlike some spirits, the age statement on a bottle of Calvados refers to the age of the youngest brandy used in the blend, meaning a bottle may contain significantly older spirits as well.
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VS (Very Special) / Trois Étoiles () / Trois Pommes*: The brandy has been aged for a minimum of two years in oak. These are typically fresh and fruity, excellent for cocktails.
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Réserve / Vieux: Aged for a minimum of three years.
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VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) / Vieille Réserve: Aged for a minimum of four years. These spirits begin to show more complexity and oak influence.
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XO (Extra Old) / Hors d’Âge / Napoléon / Très Vieille Réserve: Aged for a minimum of six years, though they are often much older. These are complex, sipping brandies meant to be savored neat.
The differences between American apple brandy and Calvados run deeper than just geography and production methods; they represent two opposing philosophies of spirit-making. American apple brandy embodies a history of frontier innovation, regulatory freedom and a willingness to adapt.
Calvados, in stark contrast, represents a philosophy of tradition, terroir and the unwavering belief that a spirit is defined by adherence to the rules of its place of origin.
The choice of aging barrel is as a critical, yet often overlooked, factor that imprints a distinct "national" character onto each spirit. American apple brandy frequently "speaks with a whiskey accent." Its common use of new charred American oak or ex-bourbon barrels imparts the signature flavors of American whiskey: big notes of sweet vanilla, caramel and spices. Making it familiar and appealing to a whiskey-drinking palate. Calvados, conversely, maintains a classic French brandy profile through its traditional use of French oak, the same wood used for Cognac and Armagnac. This imparts more subtle, spicy and tannic notes, allowing the fruit distillate to evolve differently over time and develop the nutty, leathery and dried-fruit complexity characteristic of fine French brandies. The barrel choice is a declaration of identity.
The distinct characters of these two brandies lend themselves to different drinking occasions.
American Apple Brandy's versatility is one of its greatest strengths. The modern blended applejack, like Laird's, is an excellent cocktail component, shining in classics like the Jack Rose or simply mixed with ginger ale for a refreshing highball. The more robust, 100% straight apple brandies from craft distillers are fantastic substitutes for whiskey in cocktails like the Old Fashioned and well-aged expressions can be sipped neat.
Calvados can be enjoyed according to long-standing French traditions. Younger, fruit-forward VS expressions are increasingly used in modern mixology to create bright, refreshing cocktails like the "Normandy Mojito"! Older, more complex VSOP and XO bottlings are sipped neat, served at room temperature in a tulip-shaped glass as a digestif. Calvados is also central to the Norman tradition of le trou Normand ("the Norman hole"): during a particularly long and rich meal, a small glass of Calvados is taken between courses, to "burn a hole" in the stomach, revive the appetite and make room for the dishes still to come.
As for us, having worked with the great team a Thatcher’s for nearly a decade, some of their apple cider expertise has guided us on our double distilled, topped and tails twice, alembic distillations and elevated maturation at Treguddick in Troncais oak barrels. Our 4 YO is divine. Now in warm summer, one to one with chilled fresh apple juice, it makes a marvellous pommeau. Or on a lazy summer’s lunch, with a chunk of ice and a torn sage leaf. We’ll leave the cooking until autumn!
Sip and enjoy the lovely light of this time of year as it meanders through what’s in your glass!
Cheers,
My best,
Dr. J
