Edible Jersey's Drink Local Guide
A LONG ROAD; A NEW BEGINNING
January 17, 2020, will mark the 100th anniversary of the start of Prohibition. Described by President Herbert Hoover as “a great social and economic experiment,...
PROMOTION
LAIRD & COMPANY
1 Laird Rd., Scobeyville
732.542.0312
lairdandcompany.com
“We may be the best kept secret. Many new craft distilleries are opening across the state and the country, yet most have yet to discover America’s first craft distillery right here in New Jersey.” —Tom Alberico, Sr. VP
New Jersey’s own Laird & Company is America’s oldest family-run distillery, with the first commercial records dating back to 1780 in Colts Neck, Monmouth County. The company is now in its tenth generation of family ownership, and its Applejack is recognized as the United States’ oldest native distilled spirit. President George Washington actually wrote to the Laird family requesting the recipe. Applejack (apple brandy) is made from fresh apples crushed to make hard cider, which is then distilled into Apple Brandy and aged in barrels. The company offers many different Apple Brandy expressions, including Blended Applejack, Straight Applejack 86, and Old Apple Brandy aged 7.5 years. Applejack is a fruit brandy, but it is most often consumed like a whiskey in cocktails, such as the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and the classic Jack Rose.
STAFF PICKS
Blended Applejack
Apple whiskey made from a blend of apple brandy and neutral grain spirits
Straight Applejack 86
Aged apple brandy with warm, full flavors with overtones of baked apples, caramel, and wood
Old Apple Brandy, aged 7.5 years
100% straight apple brandy aged in charred oak barrels
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