American Brandy Is Bigger Than You Think

[Martian]

Chuck, thank you for your recent article on American Brandy. The sales figures are always interesting to see what people are drinking.

http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2011/01/american-brandy-is-bigger-than-you.html

[cowdery]

Thanks. I'm particularly enamored of the domestic brandy culture of the Northern Midwest, such as in nearby Wisconsin, where domestic brandy is frequently substituted for whiskey in classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned.

[Eth3rStrik3r]

Back when I was in college in Milwaukee, people seemed to drink an awful lot of brandy. My fiancee lives farther north in Sheboygan and it seems to be one of the more popular drinks. I happened to order an old fashioned once and they actually did use brandy, much to my surprise/dismay.

[cowdery]

Here is a nice article about the Wisconsin brandy old-fashioned phenomenon.

Like most things involving Wisconsin it's kind of sweet, both literally and figuratively.

[ratcheer]

I saw the same thing in the working mens' bars of Minnesota. Virtually everyone who was not drinking beer was drinking brandy (or, sometimes both). And they ordered nothing fancy, just "brandy and water".

Tim

[jburlowski]

I grew up in Milwaukee and a (local) draft beer and a shot of brandy were the drink of choice in working-class bars. Brandy manhattans were for the sophisticates.

[cowdery]

How does a Wisconsin brandy manhattan differ from a brandy old fashioned? Is it actually a combination of brandy and red vermouth? That just seems wrong. When someone mentions the brandy manhattan, I assume they mean a Wisconsin-style old fashioned.

[Brisko]

I saw the same thing in the working mens' bars of Minnesota. Virtually everyone who was not drinking beer was drinking brandy (or, sometimes both). And they ordered nothing fancy, just "brandy and water".

Tim

My 50-something next-door neighbor drinks brandy and water almost exclusively and she's Minnesota through and through.

[MyOldKyDram]

Closest thread I cold find to put this...

Picked up a Laird's 7 1/2 yr Apple Brandy today. Never had it before. Price seemed more than fair and I was simply looking for something different. Looking forward to giving her a spin.

[HighInTheMtns]

Closest thread I cold find to put this...

Picked up a Laird's 7 1/2 yr Apple Brandy today. Never had it before. Price seemed more than fair and I was simply looking for something different. Looking forward to giving her a spin.

Is that the BIB? I'd love to try that. Their other product, the Apple Jack, is the only one available here, and is essentially a blended brandy. BIB sounds more appealing.

[MyOldKyDram]

No, not the BiB. From the little bit I read that is the 4 yr, higher proof version of this. Store didn't have the BiB, just this and the GNS blended stuff.

[redbear]

I found the BiB recently and picked it up. I think it was bottle around 2000. It is interesting. First impressions were mixed. I found parts I enjoyed (the nose especially), but it seemed to drink "hotter" than 100 proof. I need another sample.

[HighInTheMtns]

I have a bottle of the Clear Creek 8 year old apple brandy. I enjoy it. It's very apple forward. I'd guess that the Laird's will be less so since it was aged in charred oak.

[tanstaafl2]

I think the 7 1/2 yo may be the best of the Laird's bunch. The Applejack and BIB tend to be more cocktail focused while the 12yo, although quite lovely in its own way, is far more brandy and less apple. The 7 1/2 yo seems to strike the best balance between showing off the fruit and being a pleasant drink to start or finish an evening.

Edited January 10, 2013 by tanstaafl2
so MyOldKyDram won't have his evening ruined...

[MyOldKyDram]

Nuts. I was planning on starting my evening with it.

[tanstaafl2]

Nuts. I was planning on starting my evening with it.

[MyOldKyDram]

Turns out it's a most agreeable way to start out an evening.