I’ve considered reviewing non-whiskey spirits for a couple years now. Part of my reluctance has been a general lack of familiarity, but ground is seldom gained by remaining complacent, so here we are. I’ve also been more drawn towards reviewing spirits that are arguably underrated, which feels bizarre to write considering how much the spirits industry has blown up, especially with regards to bourbon and tequila. You can probably already guess one of the spirits I consider underrated, but I’ll leave the other one a mystery until the time is right. With that little preamble out of the way, let’s get to today’s bottle in question.

I previously touched on Shady Knoll in my review for their rye whiskey, which undergoes a port finish prior to bottling. The results were slightly intriguing while making me crave more from the pour—which I partly attribute to its bottling strength. They do have a cask strength version available and offer shipping from their own website. My biggest curiosity, however, was in trying their take on apple brandy. For those unfamiliar with apple brandy, the high-level overview is fairly straightforward: ferment apples (and/or pears) by pressing them, distill two to three times, and typically age for a few years in oak casks. Basically, if you think of regular brandy (similar process, but distilled from grapes) as the spirit version of wine, then apple brandy is the spirit version of apple cider (sloppy oversimplification).

In the case of Shady Knoll, the team pulls from over 120 varieties of apples grown at the on-site farm and hand-picks them between August and Thanksgiving each year. Rather than adding yeast, they allow the apples to naturally ferment over the course of about nine months. After double-distilling on a gas-fired French alembic pot still, the unaged spirit is added to a combination of new oak barrels and madeira casks (this is what intrigued me) before being bottled at 40% ABV. The bottle I’m reviewing comes from batch 5, which was matured for five years. 375ml bottles of Shady Knoll’s apple brandy are available for $38.99.

*Shady Knoll provided me a sample for this review at neither cost nor restriction.*

Nose: Bright and shiny. Dehydrated red delicious and honeycrisp apples with complementary hints of honey and vanilla. Begins to tread candy-like territory, but never quite reaches that point. The faintest underpinning of earthiness meets brown sugar and pie crust.

Palate: Light and easygoing with a touch of creaminess. Crystalized honey, apple crisps, custard, and just a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. Over time I taste more apple pit with a hint of mellow tobacco.

Finish: A bit of lingering honey, vanilla, and notes of red apple. Altogether quite delicate and unimposing.

Some bottles benefit from being open more than others, and Shady Knoll’s apple brandy definitely falls into that camp. My first couple of sessions were nothing if not conflicted, showcasing a metallic, almost chemical essence through the spirit. Thankfully, like many aged spirits, patience is a virtue, one that rewarded more of a borderline-candied honey presence over time. Most of the apple brandies I’ve tried up to this point lean more into a bright, boozy apple juice profile, so Shady Knoll finds itself among good company. The profile feels intended as a bridge for newcomers to spirits, brandy or otherwise, namely through its accessible bottling strength and overall agreeable flavor profile.

For a more enthusiast-level drinker, however, Shady Knoll Apple Brandy leaves more to the imagination. Where I find myself wanting the most is on the finish, which isn’t surprising when we consider the bottling strength. I’d have no qualms serving this to friends and family who don’t normally drink spirits, especially during the holidays; for peers with similar palates to mine, I’d probably serve this in a cocktail. Ultimately, Shady Knoll showcases their apple-picking and distilling prowess to mostly effective results, especially considering what most consumers are used to. I just hope we see a more elevated version release down the line.