Applejack
Applejack is America's oldest commercially produced spirit, with Laird's distillery in Scobeyville, New Jersey holding a license dated 1780, though the family's production traces to 1698. Colonial Americans made applejack through freeze distillation—leaving fermented hard cider outside in winter and removing the ice to concentrate the alcohol—a process called jacking. George Washington reportedly wrote to the Laird family requesting their recipe, cementing applejack as a fixture of early American drinking culture.
Flavor Profile
Applejack presents a rustic, orchard-forward profile with baked apple, dried fruit, and a characteristic woody warmth from barrel aging. The palate carries notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and toasted oak layered over a tart apple core that distinguishes it from Calvados. Blended applejack, which may contain up to 60% neutral grain spirit, shows a lighter profile, while straight apple brandy delivers concentrated fruit intensity.