Germain-Robin Apple Brandy

Germain-Robin Apple Brandy
40% Alcohol (80 Proof)

As the Autumn air begins to cool, people start to crave the comforting warmth of savory dishes and spiced fruity pies and desserts (apple, pumpkin, squash, and so on...).  So naturally you are going to want a drink that pairs well with this Fall food.  My pick?  Apple Brandy.

In France, Apple Brandy is called Calvado, whereas in Colonial America it was called Apple Jack.  Granted the methods for distillation were different for the two, with the Americas using a "freeze distillation" process, in which the water from the fermented juice would freeze, concentrating the alcohol which stayed a liquid.  Kind of like how higher proof spirits like vodka will stay liquid in the freezer, whereas a soda will freeze and explode everywhere.  This freeze distillation is a pretty crude method, but worked well enough for the early settlers.  I don't even think anyone makes commercially available true Apple Jack.  Laird and Company make a product called "Apple Jack," but it's still just an apple brandy made through whiskey distillation methods.  I'm curious to try some of the real Apple Jack, so perhaps I will have to find a moonshiner skilled in it.  Or make my own.  Hmm... 

Anyway, what all this brings me to is Germain Robin's Apple Brandy.  I've reviewed a few Germain-Robin spirits over the past couple months, including their Coast Road Reserve, Select Barrel XO, and Single Barrel Colombard, all of which are great.  So, when I heard they had an Apple Brandy, I got excited.  

Germain-Robin's Apple Brandy is made using more of the classic French-style traditional distillation rather than the rustic Colonial-style distillation.  But hey, that's fine with me.  They only make one barrel a year of their Apple Brandy, so it's pretty limited stuff.  It's distilled from heirloom Sierra Beauty, Jonathon, Ben Davis, and Gravenstein apples from the Anderson Valley.  A portion of their cider undergoes malolactic fermentation, which when done intentionally in traditional winemaking gives some wine a richer, rounder, buttery taste.  In this, it aids in giving the brandy a richer, creamier texture.

Germain-Robin's Apple Brandy shares traditional cognac aromas with hints of spiced Fall apples, pears, and vanilla.  It tastes of dry pears with subtle creamy apple, a touch of spiced citrus, and some oaky vanilla in the soft finish.  This tastes more like a traditional brandy than a cider, but the apples are certainly present, making this a welcome change of pace for brandy drinkers. 

Drink This: if you want a delicious, classy Apple Brandy that can hold its own against many traditional brandies.  And honestly, it tastes better than many grape brandies, especially at this price range.

Don't Drink This: if you're looking for an "Apple Jack."  If you want a true "Apple Jack" like Johnny Appleseed used to promote while running around planting trees, go make your own by the freeze distillation method... then send me some...   :)

Cheers!         

Germain-Robin Grappa

 

Germain-Robin Grappa

Syrah/Zinfandel

43% Alcohol (86 Proof)

Unless you're currently living in Italy or the surrounding parts of Europe, you probably think of Grappa as something of an enigma.  And that it is... well at least to most people.  Some people compare it to "vodka with some flavor," others to brandy, but what is it really?  

Grappa is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in Italy and is made from the pomace, or leftover byproducts of making wine (skins, seeds, stems, etc.) which are then fermented and distilled into a high-proof spirit.  However, some of the newer distillers are breaking the mold, including Germain-Robin's Grappa, which made from the entire grape, juice and all.  This gives Germain-Robin's Grappas a distinct edge over old-school Grappas, in that they have more flavor.  

Germain-Robin's Zin-Syrah Grappa pours very clear like vodka.  It smells of juniper and the darker fruit notes you typically associate with Zinfandel and Syrah wines.  You sip and get white pepper, honey sweetness, mineral water, an interesting saltiness, and a fairly smooth, complex finish.  Like all of Germain-Robin's offerings, the lingering smooth finish is really what sets this apart.  

Grappa is meant as a digestif, or as an after-dinner drink meant to help digestion.  I had it after dinner as it is intended. Did it help my digestion?  I'm really not sure, but it was certainly a treat.  It's great to try something like this that's far from mainstream, yet so interesting and tasty!

Drink This: if you want a taste of Italy that's made in California.  

Don't Drink This: if you want bold flavors and typical American liquor flavor-profiles.  Germain-Robin's Zin-Syrah Grappa is complex, yet subtle and easy-drinking.  Definitely worth trying.         

Germain-Robin Select Barrel XO

Germain-Robin Select Barrel XO

Alambic Brandy

40% Alcohol (80 Proof)

 

Robb Report is famous for one thing: LUXURY.  Back in 1999, Robb Report had a panel of experts do tastings to find the best spirits in the world and the winner... Germain-Robin's Select Barrel XO brandy.  Not only did it beat out many big-name spirit makers, but it even beat out the Richard Hennessy cognac which retails for around $1700.  That's very impressive, to say the least.

Germain-Robin makes 10 barrels a year of their XO alambic brandy using the same vintage stills they use in making their other brandies, including the others I have reviewed from their fabulous distillery: the Coast Road Reserve and the silky Single Barrel Colombard.  Their XO is distilled from twelve difference grape sources which includes some premium varietals like Pinot Noir.  It's clear that using such high quality grapes really helps the end product become something special.

Germain-Robin's XO pours a dark gold/amber and smells of sweet caramel apples, ginger, a touch of spice and some subtle oak.  You take a sip and get a rich, deep, yet somehow impressively delicate brandy with soft orchard fruit, vanilla, and hints of chocolate in the soft finish that goes on and on.  Like all of Germain-Robin's spirits, the most impressive thing is the light, incredibly soft, almost ethereal mouthfeel.

Drink This: if you want one of the most well-rounded, complex spirits available.  The mouthfeel of all Germain-Robin's offerings are incredible. 
Don't Drink This: if you can't find it.  But really, go find a bottle and try it.  It's available online!  This could easily make anyone a brandy drinker...    

Germain-Robin Absinthe Superieure

Germain-Robin Absinthe Superieure

Apple-Honey Mead Brandy

Distilled with Herbs

45.15% Alcohol (90.3 Proof)

Absinthe has had quite the history.  Absinthe was banned in America from 1915 through 2007 due to the belief that it made people crazy and more prone to criminal behavior.  The belief that absinthe causes hallucinations and such was widely blown out of proportion, although it sure is tasty stuff.  

Any truth in the absinthe myth lies in one of real absinthe's prime ingredients, wormwood.  Wormwood contains the chemical thujone, and although most experiments have shown that thujone causes no psychoactive effects in and of itself, newer research theorizes that thujone blocks the receptors that are responsible for the central nervous system (CNS) depression alcohol causes.  What all this geeky alcohol science means is that the wormwood in true absinthe will simply make you feel less drunk than you really are.  And it's true, this does make the "buzz" from drinking real absinthe feel a little different than any other alcoholic beverage.  Although, the effect is still rather mild.  Ever since absinthe was legalized in America again in 2007, after its almost one century ban, its popularity has risen exponentially, likely due to its epic reputation.  There are now more absinthe distillers than ever before.

Absinthe comes in two main varieties: verte (green) and blanche (white).  Germain-Robin makes a unique version of Absinthe Superieure using an apple-honey mead base which is then distilled in their antique pot stills.  (I've previously reviewed Germain-Robin's wonderful Single Barrel Colombard and Coast Road Reserve brandies.)  According to Germain-Robin,  the brandy base is then macerated with "rose geranium, lemon balm, wormwood, hyssop, lemon verbena, star anise, fennel seed, and lemon peel, among others," which is then distilled again in small batches.  Aside from the unique base and distilling method, it is also bottled at an unusually low 90.3 Proof, whereas many absinthes are around 120 Proof.

Before and After

Looking at Germain-Robin's Absinthe Superieure, you see that it is really quite clear and colorless.  You add some cold water and it immediately blooms into a cloud of white.  This louche (the transition from clear to cloudy and opaque) is really quite impressive and quick.  It smells very, very floral and sweet, with clear notes of star anise, mint, and lemon.  This absinthe tastes obviously of star anise, but it is also very minty, like menthol and wintergreen, with a background of sweet lemon and some earthy wormwood.  The oily mouthfeel of many absinthes is rather subdued in this.  Germain-Robin's absinthe is light, complex, and unique, yet sweet enough that the addition of a sugar cube isn't really needed.  Very interesting stuff, indeed.

Drink This: if you want a unique, different take on a blanche absinthe. 

Don't Drink This: if you don't like star anise or mint, seeing as this has both in spades.         

Germain-Robin Coast Road Reserve

Germain-Robin Coast Road Reserve

Brandy
40% Alcohol (80 Proof)

There's a simple reason why the distilled spirits out of the Mendocino County-based Germain-Robin garner such impressive reviews from professionals: because they are ridiculously good.  The other day I reviewed Germain-Robin's Single Barrel Colombard, an ultra-smooth, velvety, delicious, and delicate brandy.  Well, today I am looking at another brandy in their lineup, their Coast Road Reserve.

Here's what Germain-Robin has to say about the Coast Road Reserve:

Distilled by hand on our antique cognac still, aged in Limousin oak, blended from an appealing mix of richly fruited brandies and deeper, oakier, and more mature distillated.  A portion of the blend dates back to our earliest distillations.  Plenty of pinot noir brandy means focused complex flavor and a finish that lasts for about 50 miles.

Coast Road Reserve pours a dark, golden amber which could easily be mistaken for an older bourbon.  It smells like rich brandy, with hints of apricot and dark florals.  When you taste it, you are greeted with luscious deep fruits and a sweet oakiness.  It finished quite smoothly with a lingering gentle, fruity sweetness.  It really has some remarkable depth and complexity, without being too in-your-face.  This blows stuff like Courvoisier VSOP out of the water.  

I could drink Coast Road Reserve all day long.  Except for well, you know, having to take care of my family, keep a job, and drive a car.  Comparing this to the Single Barrel Colombard, the Coast Road Reserve is more aggressive and fruit-forward, whereas the Single Barrel is more about subtlety, delicacy, and softness.  Both are wonderful and both have a time and a place where they are well suited.

Drink This: if you want a rich, complex, yet not cloyingly sweet brandy.  

Don't Drink This: if you are a fool.  This is really great stuff and well worth buying for anyone who enjoys spirits.  Like the Single Barrel Colombard, this could easily turn many people onto brandy.

         

Germain-Robin Single Barrel Colombard Brandy

Germain-Robin Single Barrel Colombard Brandy

23 Years Old

42.8% Alcohol (85.6 Proof)

Colombard Grapes

For some, brandy can be a rather polarizing drink.  While many people love wine, only some of those love brandy and usually not until later in their lives.  However, Germain-Robin's Single Barrel Colombard is exactly the type of brandy that could turn non-brandy drinkers into brandy lovers.  This is fantastic stuff.

Germain-Robin's Single Barrel Colombard was aged for 23 years in a single Limousin oak barrel, unblended, and brought to bottling proof (85.6 proof) with filtered rainwater.  According to Germain-Robin,

Colombard was the preferred grape of Cognac in the 1800s, before phlloxera; this show you why.  The river-bottom soil of the Hildreth ranch contains peat: you can taste it.

This brandy received an impressive score of 97 by Wine Enthusiast.  

Germain-Robin's Single Barrel Colombard pours a rich, golden hue.  On the nose, it has very soft hints of fruit and a subtle mustiness.  Upon first sip, you are greeted with a complex, rich flavor, yet with a silky and velvety mouthfeel that is common only to the finest spirits.  You can certainly taste peat in the background, giving this brandy a unique and welcome depth.  It genuinely is one of the smoothest, softest, most elegant brandies I have had the pleasure of drinking.  Like I said earlier, this could easily turn non-brandy drinkers into brandy-lovers.  Hopefully with time I can taste some of their other single barrel offerings.  Amazing stuff.

Drink This: if you want a ridiculously soft and smooth, complex brandy.  If you already love brandy, you will adore this.

Don't Drink This: if you don't appreciate delicate, craft spirits.