How to Make Applejack
Applejack. The American spirit. It’s a delicious spirit that connects you to the past and warms your soul on a cool autumn night. Eight Oaks Farm Distillery continues making this American spirit in authentic and aged varieties. We break down the traditional method of making applejack and how Eight Oaks has modernized the way we make this American spirit.
What is in Applejack?
It all starts with the apples. At Eight Oaks we use local pressed apple cider from Hardball Cider in Mt. Bethel, PA. The cider is pure apples: no additives, preservatives or pasteurization.
Yeast is added to the apple cider to begin the fermentation process. Fermentation takes anywhere from six to eight days, at which point, the apple cider is transformed into hard apple cider. No neutral spirits or anything else is added to the final product.
Traditional Method of Making Applejack
After the fermentation of apple cider is complete, the hard apple cider must go through distillation. Applejack gets its name from the traditional method of jacking (or freeze distillation).
This process involves freezing the hard cider mixture and removing the ice (frozen water), which increases the alcohol content. This jacking process came about when the early settlers left their cider out in the cold and then removed chunks of the ice from the spirit.
The more ice that was removed, the higher the alcohol content–which made Applejack much stronger than hard cider. However, this process was inefficient since it could only take place during the cold, winter months.
Modern Making of Applejack
Most distilleries, including Eight Oaks, no longer use the traditional jacking method, but instead use the same distillation methods that are used for other spirits. In modern distilleries, steam distillation is the preferred method. Instead of freezing the apple cider, steam distillation heats the cider resulting in evaporation of the alcohol, which is then condensed back into its liquid form.
At Eight Oaks, we use the same distilling equipment used for our other spirits, including whiskey and bourbon. The hard apple cider is run through the still, creating a higher volume alcohol product. The authentic applejack is bottled at 88 proof or 44% ABV.
Authentic Applejack has a sweet apple nose and a dry, yet fruity, light to medium body, with a crisp finish. A warming brandy that is by far one of our most versatile spirits.
Aging Applejack
Authentic applejack is an American tradition, but the aging of applejack brings the flavor profile closer to whiskey.
At Eight Oaks, we age the applejack in used bourbon barrels. As the applejack is aged it takes on caramel apple notes, resulting in a product that has warm flavors with overtones of baked apple, caramel, and oak.
You can drink this neat or as a replacement for whiskey in traditional cocktails like Manhattans or Old Fashioneds.
Watch the video to learn more about how Eight Oaks turns apples into Applejack:
