Leather | Tart apples | Dry oak | Spiced pie crust | Baking spice | Underlying vein of ethanol | Owns every bit of its 122 proof

Baked cinnamon apples | Peppercorn spice | Brown sugar | Baked bread | Dry oak | Large doses of spice | Slightly tart

Spice cake | Leather | Oak | Lightly baked apples | Cinnamon spice | Long lingering heat

Copper & Kings is based out of Louisville, Kentucky, and has made quite the name for themselves with their brandy and non-whiskey products. While the company has done collaborations with other whiskey distilleries, often in the form of barrel finishing, they’ve never released a bourbon before. That changed this summer with the release of their first batch of bourbon that will be offered exclusively through their “Bottle-Your-Own” experience at the Copper & Kings Distillery. The company states in their press release, that “the initial Copper & Kings bourbon features sourced bourbon, aged between five and six years and finished for 13 months in Copper & Kings American Brandy barrels. In total, this first release includes 14 single barrels, finished in either apple or grape brandy barrels.”

The time the bourbon spent aging in the used brandy barrels is evident. Apple notes weave their way in throughout the sip and are joined with heavy doses of spice throughout. The bourbon’s proof is quite evident as this drinks higher than its stated 122 proof. While I often find collaborations the company has done with others to be quite intriguing, I found the company’s “Bourbon in Apple” release to be just okay. While the apple brandy influence is readily present, the sip over-indexes on spices and heat. In comparison, I found the “Apple in Grape” release to be much more intriguing, and of the two, I would go for that offering when doing the “Bottle-Your-Own” experience at the distillery.