Carriage house apple brandy

[ncyankee101]

This is a local brand here in NC and I am not sure how widely it is distributed. I am curious to know if anyone else has tried this, and how it compares to Laird's 100 proof, which I have the opportunity to acquire online for $24.

I have the Laird's 7 1/2 yr and like it quite a bit, but I know the BIB version is supposed to be much more appley (?).

[yarm]

I find Laird's 7 1/2 to be more apple-flavored and closer to Calvados. Barreled in Bond has some serious whiskey-barrel like notes going on from the aging despite being aged for less time (4 years, I believe). The difference is probably the char level of the barrel with the BIB approximating rye and Bourbon (dark) and the L7.5 being more like a Cognac barrel (lightly toasted).

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/

[ncyankee101]

Thanks, you're the first I have heard say the 7 1/2 yr has more apple flavor than the BIB. I am probably going to go ahead and get the BIB just for the sake of completism, I am a little OCD that way ;-)

For the record I have a bottle of the carriage house, it is young tasting with not much wood - not bad but it seems to me like there could be more apple flavor to it. It costs about the same as I paid for the 7 1/2 yr at $24 ($20 on sale) so I doubt I will get it again.

Edit : D'oh, thanks alpha that was a mental lapse on my part, it has been corrected.

[alphanumeric]

I believe yarm actually meant that 7 1/2 yr is the more apple-flavoured of the two (correct me if I'm wrong).

[EvergreenDan]

Odd. I found the opposite, with the 7.5 being more like cognac and the BIB full of apple. Alas I don't have both bottles on hand anymore to confirm.

[yarm]

I should have stated this as the 7.5 being more apple-centric (as I did compare it to Calvados) or having more of the purity of the apple. The BIB is definitely apple, but also rough barrel that detracts on the tongue when neat but adds to the experience in cocktails.