Hybrid Apple Brandy/Jack?

[Steve Broady]

So, I had another crazy idea...

I've heard that apple jack (fermented and freeze distilled apple juice) has an amazing flavor and color, but gives you an equally amazing hangover. My guess is that this is largely due to the presence of nasties that we would normally remove as the foreshots and heads. On the other hand, apple brandy seems to lose a lot of its intense apple flavor, and of course all the color, but it's a beautifully smooth and drinkable spirit when made with care and skill. As I understand it, freezer jacking is essentially just removing water and leaving everything else behind, while distillation is removing the alcohol and leaving almost everything else behind. Fundamentally different processes, and fundamentally different products.

So why not combine them? Start with a clear hard cider, and do a stripping run, a spirit run, and make cuts as appropriate. In other words, make brandy. Next, either keep running the still to pull off a bunch of water and concentrate what's left behind, or freezer jack the backset. Then, instead of proofing the brandy down with water, use the concentrated backset which should (in theory) have all the flavor and color and residual sugar, just like apple jack. You get all the flavors of the apple jack, but since you removed the foreshots, heads, and tails, you've made a much more drinkable product. The only issue that comes to mind right away would be that having cooked the backset, it could have a different flavor than it would have otherwise.

What do you think?

[NZChris]

Have you tasted the backset? I haven't bothered.

My method:
Freeze jack some apple juice, keeping a third. Use this for proofing.

Ferment apple juice.
Strip to below 27% Low Wines, only taking a small foreshot.
Spirit run, then choose a blend from the jars. My heart cuts average around 65%.
Cut to 40% using some of the jacked juice. This usually gets me around 11g/100m/ sugar, which is about what I like.

Age on toasted, charred oak in a 2/3rds full jar. Taste once a year until ready. After about four years it should taste oxidized and much nicer than when new.

In my shed, I call it Scumble. viewtopic.php?t=54938

[Farside]

I've made both. And although the brandy has less apple profile, I would never blend it with applejack. The brandy is refined, delicate, and simply a better product.

FWIW I make the brandy from one spirit run, charging the still with apple jack.