Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels

It might seem odd, but when I went to Kentucky in August 2022 the first distillery I visited wasn’t making whiskey at all. It was Copper & Kings, an American brandy distillery in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood. I don’t drink brandy often, but having tried a bit of theirs, I wanted to try more.

By the end of the visit, I had eaten one of the best meals of the trip at their restaurant, done the full tour, bottled my own Heritage Apple Brandy bottle, and tried maybe 9-10 of their products (which, at the time, included two MGP bourbons finished in their own brandy casks). It was a mind-awakening experience to the potential of American brandy.

I didn’t think they could top the brandies they were making, but damn if that restaurant wasn’t calling my name. So, after the 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, I stopped by Copper & Kings for my last meal in Kentucky. Again, blown away - I took home the Chocolate Chess Pie recipe.

I had heard inklings that Copper & Kings was putting out their own bourbon. It wasn’t distilled by them, but it would be a Kentucky Straight Bourbon from at least two distilleries (it would end up being three) finished in C&K brandy barrels. After the KBF, I wasn’t necessarily prepared to buy another bottle, but I found myself sitting at the bar and staring at the Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels. I had to taste it.

And it blew me away.

Copper & Kings didn’t publicize the makeup of this blend, but thanks to some friendly investigative work it was found to be 64% 5-year-old Bardstown Bourbon Co., 24% 10-year-old Barton, and 12% 15-year-old Heaven Hill. No wonder it was so damn good.

The three-distillery blend was then finished in Copper & Kings’ own apple brandy barrels. Their apple brandy is distilled from a blend of 15-18 culinary and cider apples - all from Michigan - and is downright dangerous (as in far too easy to drink). While finishing for 12 months, the barrels were subjected to the intense sonic aging Copper & Kings uses for all its maturation, increasing interaction with the cask and in my mind also blending the bourbons together better than any mixing could do.

The result is fantastic. It’s a bourbon that could easily command twice the price, but is sold at just $65 for now at the distillery and in select Kentucky stores. This is an immediate contender for a whiskey of the year award - it’s that good.

Don’t believe me? Watch me and Jacob from ComingWhiskey review it live here. This is a doozy in the best way. In fact, I’m already down a bottle and ordering a second.

Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels: Specs

Classification: Blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskies

Producer: Copper & Kings Distillery

Mashbill: Derived Mashbill Unknown

Proof: 111.1 (55.5% ABV)

Age: Blend of 5-15 Year Old Bourbons (64% 5YO Bardstown Bourbon Co., 24% 10YO Barton 1792 Bourbon, 12% 15YO Heaven Hill)

Location: Kentucky

Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels Price: $65

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Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels: Tasting Notes

Eye: Light maple syrup. Thin rims, bead droplets hang on and slip slowly down.

Nose: Floral at first, which I didn’t get when I tried it at the distillery. A bourbon-glazed apple compote opens quickly, sweet, dry, and dark. Tobacco and cigar wrappers overlay a fruity and dark bourbon that is closer to the mid-range of 10 years (complex without being too oaky).

Palate: Soft, the bourbon and apple brandy hitting together quietly and firmly. The apple has caramelized in a pan after a flambe, the bourbon heavy on vanilla and mille feuille pastry layers. Flaky and buttery. Mouthfeel is cooling, moderately filling with a light burn that drinks below the 111º. The balance of flavors is excellent, mostly on the front half of my tongue.

Finish: Stays mostly on the front half, mouthwatering without being astringent. Medium length, the older bourbon growing only at the very end.

Overall: Great balance of flavors from stem to stern. The spirits are in tandem, apple playing off vanilla and pastry with a light and buttery undertone. The smaller percentages of mid-age Barton and 15-year-old Heaven Hill carry their weight, adding nuttiness and darker fruits to the profile.

Final Rating: 7.4

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary

8 | Excellent | Exceptional

7 | Great | Well above average

6 | Very Good | Better than average

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary

4 | Has promise but needs work

1-3 | Let’s have a conversation

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