Bourbon meets brandy in Peerless/C&K collaboration
Everyone knows distilling is king in Kentucky. When Joe Heron launched his Copper & Kings American Brandy Distillery in 20??, he was simply looking for a way to help expand the distilling tradition. With a new collaboration with Peerless Distillery, his home-grown product has crossed over into another – and vice versa.
The two distilleries jointly released a pair of barrel-finished releases, with one going in either direction: One is an American brandy aged in bourbon barrels and then finished for 14 months in Peerless rye whiskey barrels. The other product is a Peerless rye whiskey aged in American Alembic absinthe barrels.
Whiskey is, of course, a grain-based product usually including corn, barley and sometimes wheat or rye, whereas American brandy is a blend of grape brandies. Together, they create unique combinations, combos which both distilleries hope will intrigue consumers.
“There’s a certain poetry to a collaboration combining a distillery resurrecting a 140-year-old family tradition in distilling whiskey after an absence of 98 years, and an insurrection oriented youthful distillery reinventing American Brandy whilst located deep in Bourbon country,” Heron said in a news release.
“Joe has always been a good friend of mine and it has been an honor to work with him,” Peerless owner Corky Taylor said. “We are really excited to share the friendship between Kentucky Peerless and Copper and Kings with others through this collaboration.”
Both head distillers expressed enthusiasm with the results of the collaboration as well.
“We like working with rye (barrels),” Copper & Kings Master Distiller Brandon O’Daniel said. “It’s got some sexy complementary dark fruit notes, the light spice gives an interesting savory character and the combination is very complementary – they marry well, and it appeals to both brandy and whiskey drinkers.”
Said Peerless Master Distiller Caleb Kilburn, “I wanted something that would provide the perfect contrasting notes to allow both the rye and the absinthe to be appreciated. Bold, exciting, intriguing, and bursting at the seams with flavor, this crossover is the perfect example of what a few artisans with big ambitions can accomplish when they come together.”
“I feel like we are establishing a deeply rooted legacy of American Brandy in Kentucky,” Heron added, “and with our partnership with the Taylors and the Peerless family, we are reinforcing a history of American Brandy in Kentucky that in the late 1800’s had over 400 brandy distilleries in the state.”
The distilleries will celebrate the collaboration with a paired dinner at Copper & Kings on March 18. Chef Dallas McGarity will prepare a special Kentucky Table highlighting food ingredients sourced in the Bluegrass.
Bottles of both products can be found at the respective distillery gift shops and select retailers. The rye-finished brandy retails for $65, while the absinthe-finished rye retails for $129.