Copper & KingsCR&FTWERK Brandy
Finished in 3 Floyds Dark Lord Russian imperial stout barrels
copper pot-distilled American brandy
55.5% ABV (111 proof)
non-chill filtered, natural color, no boise
not sure about price (press sample)
With a heavy heart, this is my final review of what has been an excellent run of beer barrel-aged brandies from Copper & Kings. In case you missed them, you can find the previous reviews here, here, and here. All have been excellent, with my personal ranking:
1. AtG smoked Scottish ale
2. Sierra Nevada smoked porter
3. Oskar Blues imperial IPA
Eager to see where the 3 Floyds Russian imperial stout expression lands!Color: the colors of all of these brandies are similar: light/medium brown with an orange tint.
Smell: chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt leap out immediately. Also dark/borderline burnt caramel, as well as a kiss of smoke. The beer barrel influence seems to me to be much bigger here than in the other expressions, but the brandy is still extremely smooth and approachable - very nice. With water, these flavors meld beautifully, but definitely sniff it at full strength first.
Taste: wow, really good. Similar to the nose - lots of dark/burnt caramel and vanilla sweetness upfront, with plenty of coffee and roasted malt influence mingling as well. There's bigger depth of flavor here than with the other expressions. Water or ice definitely helps tame the beast but - as with the nose - sip this straight first to experience the full strength mouth-punch!
Overall: this is tied for first for me. It's bigger, bolder, and richer than the AtG smoked Scottish ale expression, but slightly less smooth. In bourbon terms, this is George T. Stagg, whereas the AtG is old wheated bourbon. You can't lose either way - can't wait to pick these up when I see them in stores - highly recommended!
