12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:I'm not aware of Laird's apple brandy without an age statement. I drink bonded, 7 1/2, and 12. They do sell a white, unaged, but I have never tried it.
Laird's was once bonded but the recent cocktail craze apparently caught them somewhat unawares much as is the case with bourbon and whiskey in general. It used to consist of a brandy that was about 4 to 7 years old (it all had to be from one "season" to be considered bonded so it was all about the same age but they didn't always use just the 4yo). When I noticed the loss of the bonded statement back in Dec 2014 I queried the company and they noted their reserves had been depleted to the point where they needed to use brandy from several different years to include 3 year old to make the 100 proof version. They indicated that they hope to catch up to the point where they can again label it as bonded in the future. Time will tell.
It now says "Founded 1780" where it once said "Bottled in Bond".
The Laird's 12 is nice but for me there is not much apple character left to my palate. The 7 1/2 year old (yes, it is in fact age stated at 7.5 years!) is a somewhat better compromise to compare to Calvados but only 80 proof. I still use the 100 proof version for what I feel is the best combination of flavor and proof in cocktails. The AppleJack with its heavy NGS character is less interesting and useful to me.
I haven't tried the white "Jersey Lightning" version (don't think I have even seen it locally) and not really that interested to be honest. I suppose it could be better than some of the apple flavored GNS that is labeled as moonshine these days (a pretty low bar...) but that is not a category I seek out in general!
