Copper & Kings

Copper & Kings American Brandy

Copper & Kings Butchertown Brandy (left) and American Craft Brandy (right)
Type American brandy
Manufacturer Copper & Kings American Brandy Company
Country of origin Louisville, Kentucky
Introduced 2014
Alcohol by volume 45.0%
Proof (US) 90
Website www.copperandkings.com

Copper & Kings American Brandy Company is a specialist American brandy and absinthe distillery located in historic Butchertown, Louisville, Kentucky.[1] The company was founded by beverage entrepreneurs Joe and Lesley Heron in 2014. The Herons originally founded Nutrisoda which was sold to PepsiAmericas in 2006, and the Crispin Hard Cider Company, sold to MillerCoors in 2012.[2]

The distillery

Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. Distillery located in Butchertown, Louisville, KY

The brandy distillery has four separate elements; the basement maturation cellar, the first floor distillery/production area, a second floor art gallery and office space and a third floor tasting room and event space with views to the West of downtown Louisville.

The distillery building itself is fronted by an expansive courtyard for community events as well as repurposed shipping containers containing the Gift Shop and tour/event amenities.[3]

The front shipping containers are surrounded by a 4,300 sqf dedicated butterfly garden with select flora and habitat to attract and sustain Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The garden is certified by MonarchWatch.org as a registered Monarch Waystation.[3]

The company used over 40 local and regional vendors in the construction of the facility, and it is regularly used to support local charities and community arts.[4]

Distillation

Copper Pot Stills at Copper & Kings Brandy Distillery. From left to right: Sarah (50 gal.), Magdalena (750 gal.) and Isis (1000 gal.)

The company focuses exclusively on the copper pot-distillation of American brandy and absinthe.[5] Three Vendome Copper & Brassworks stills are used in the distillation process and go by the names of Sarah (50 gal.), Magdalena (750 gal.) and Isis (1000 gal.)—all female protagonists in Bob Dylan songs (Sarah, Romance in Durango and Isis). The company follows an alembic double-distillation batch process of grape wine using the grape varietals of Muscat D'Alexandrie, (French) Colombard and Chenin Blanc.[6] The company distills an annual Kentucky vintage brandy using the Vidal Blanc grape varietal.

Apple brandy

Apple Brandy is also pot-distilled in Kentucky using Michigan apple wine from fermented fresh-pressed raw apple juice. All wines are distilled unfiltered and unsulfited. Apple brandies are matured in a combination of Kentucky Bourbon barrels and Spanish sherry casks. Finished products are non-chill filtered, and contain no boisé (oak flavors or infusion), sugar or caramel color as a standard of quality.[5]

Absinthe

The distillery makes 4 different styles of absinthe using a brandy base.[7] The absinthe botanicals (Grande Wormwood, Fennel, Anis, Licorice root and Hyssop together with other select botanicals) are macerated in the brandy low wine for 18 hours pre-distillation and then go through a second final distillation. The distillery allows for no post-distillation infusion of flavor or color to the final spirit. The absinthe is non-chill filtered.

Absinthe Blanche uses a Muscat brandy base. The distillery also produces 3 Vapor Distilled Absinthes – Lavender, Citrus and Fresh Cut Ginger where the additional flavor notes are achieved using Vapor Distillation of botanicals in a fashion similar to that of Gin distillation. The Vapor Distilled Absinthes use a (French) Colombard brandy base.[7]

Barrel-aged gin

Copper & Kings has produced two apple brandy-based, barrel-aged gins. Stray Cat Gin was aged for 12 months in a Serbian Juniper Barrel with an Old Tom style profile.[8] Alley Cat Gin was aged in a Kentucky Bourbon barrel for 22 months. Both gins are non-chill filtered and unadulterated by any post distillation infusion of flavor or color.[9]

Maturation

Grape brandy is matured in once used Kentucky Bourbon barrels with +/-10% New American Oak. Apple Brandy is matured in once used Kentucky Bourbon barrels with +/-10% Spanish Sherry casks and butts.[2][10]

The cellar also contains a variety of different brandies aging in used Tequila barrels, Kentucky Hogsheads, Serbian Juniper barrels and used Cognac barrels. The distillery is also maturing brandy in oak barrels that were previously used to age craft beer – the partner breweries include Three Floyds (Indiana), Against The Grain (Kentucky), Sierra Nevada (California) and Oskar Blues (North Carolina).[11]

The maturation process also includes "sonic aging" where music is played to the barrels, and 5 large sub-woofer speakers vibrate the distillate inside the barrel in a fashion so as to increase spirit contact with wood inside the barrels thus enhancing maturation.[1][2]

Sustainability

Shipping containers used as a retail shop and visitors center outside of Copper & Kings Brandy Distillery

As an agricultural product the company is focused on environmental protection including the aforementioned Monarch butterfly garden, the use of solar energy, the repurposing of shipping containers, the promotion of cycling in Louisville, and the salvaging of wood from the distillery construction for furniture used in the building.[12]

Varieties

Markets

In July 2016, Copper & Kings' 27 markets included: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 Kaufman, Steve (February 4, 2014). "Look out, bourbon and beer, Copper & Kings – a cool new brandy distillery – is opening in Louisville". Insider Louisville. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Loosemore, Bailey. "Copper & Kings brandy not a 'one-trick pony'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Brafford, Diana (April 7, 2015). "Louisville Brandy Distillery Integrates Shipping Containers". Dock to Home. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ Press Release (October 20, 2014). "Copper & Kings Distillery Celebrates Grand Opening in Louisville". BevNET.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. Continues U.S. Expansion". chilledmagazine.com. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Inside Louisville's Copper & Kings Brandy Distillery". Gear Patrol. May 20, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Copper & Kings launches new Absinthe Blanche - Louisville - Louisville Business First". Bizjournals.com. October 3, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Stray Cat Gin". Copper & Kings. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Schwartz, Kyle. "Copper & Kings Alley Cat Bourbon Barrel-Aged Gin". BeverageDynamics. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Childs, Bobby. "LAGNIAPPE – A SELECTION OF COPPER & KINGS BRANDY". Adventures in Whiskey. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Copper And Kings Opening Soon". Louisville.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ Springer, Kate (June 20, 2015). "Going green good for business for Louisville brandy distillery - WDRB 41 Louisville News". Wdrb.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Copper & Kings Brandy Now in NYC: We've Been Moving at a Helluva Pace". Distillery Trail. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Absinthe Blanche". Copperandkings.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Vapor Distilled Citrus Absinthe". Copperandkings.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Vapor Distilled Lavender Absinthe". Copperandkings.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Stray Cat Gin". Copperandkings.com. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "FEATURED BRANDS COPPER & KINGS AMERICAN BRANDY CO. LAUNCHES CR&FTWERK AMERICAN BRANDY AGED IN CRAFT BEER BARRELS". CHILLED Magazine. CHILLED Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  19. ↑ "COPPER & KINGS LAUNCHES '3 MARLENAS' TEQUILA BARREL AGED APPLE BRANDY". Chilled Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  20. ↑ "COPPER & KINGS LAUNCHES FLOODWALL AMERICAN APPLE BRANDY". Chilled Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  21. ↑ "COPPER & KINGS ADDS SIX NEW MID-ATLANTIC MARKETS". Chilled Magazine. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
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