Review: Tamworth Garden VSOP Apple Brandy

In the decade or so that I’ve written about spirits, I tend to repeatedly get asked the same couple of questions. The first is always what my favorite spirit and bottle is (depends: what’s the occasion, mood, current craving?). Close after that is the question of what the most memorable thing I’ve tried is. That, too, has a longer and more ambiguous answer than most people care to hear. At least until the words “eau de musc whiskey made with the oil from a beaver’s castor gland” come out, or I mention a whiskey flavored with maple syrup tapped from a graveyard tree.

Both have a flavor profile as interesting as the story and come from the same place: New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling. The distillery draws from its location. It uses house-milled grain, local fruits and vegetables, and herbs and botanicals from the on-site garden or foraged from the woods. All of the organic grains are sourced from farms within 150 mile radius of the distillery during harvest season. Sure, Tamworth’s spirits can be quirky, but quirky in the most tasteful way.

Then I had a taste of Tamworth Garden VSOP Apple Brandy. Brandy of all kinds—Cognac, apple jack, Armagnac, Calvados—pass in and out of my home bar faster than just about any other spirit. It’s my go-to whenever it’s around. This particular bottle ended up no different, and proves that Tamworth Distilling is just as good as making serious spirits as it is quirky ones.

ABV: 50%
Price: $75
Where it’s available: Seelbach’s