Barber Lee Apple Brandy
Barber Lee Apple Brandy is an 84 proof (42% ABV), 750mL American-style apple brandy from Barber Lee Spirits in Petaluma, California — fermented and double distilled from the juice of fresh-squeezed Gravenstein apples grown by a grower in nearby coastal Sonoma County, then aged in new heavy char barrels. Gravenstein is Sonoma's native apple, celebrated each year at the local Gravenstein Apple Fair, and the brand's tasting note keeps it simple: high notes of fresh-cut apples with cedar spice from the oak. The wood label shows a two-headed snake biting an apple — a nod to "The Two Headed Monster," the distillery's copper still. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 42% (84 proof — distillery's own site; one retailer lists 90PF — bottle-read requested)
- Size: 750mL
- Base: fresh-squeezed Gravenstein apples, coastal Sonoma County
- Process: fermented and double distilled; aged in new heavy char barrels (no published duration)
- Distillery: Barber Lee Spirits, Petaluma, CA — American-style apple brandy (not Calvados)
Sonoma Apples, American Oak
This is the New World answer to apple brandy: Gravensteins — the pie-and-cider apple of Sonoma County — fermented, double distilled, and put into new heavy-char barrels for a classic American profile. Fresh-cut apple high notes ride over cedar spice from the oak, and there is no French grade system here — no VSOP, no XO, just apple, copper, and charred oak. The distillery's site heads the page "Apple Bourbon," a quirk worth noting but not renaming: the product is an apple brandy by every legal and practical measure. Browse more brandy and explore the Barber Lee collection at Del Mesa Liquor.
Tasting Notes
Nose: High notes of fresh-cut apple (brand).
Palate: Apple spirit with cedar spice from the oak.
Finish: Warm, oaky, and distinctly American in style.
How to Enjoy
Neat or on a large cube to let the apple-and-cedar pairing show. It makes a strong Jack Rose or a fall Old Fashioned with apple bitters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What apples are used?
Gravenstein apples from coastal Sonoma County — Sonoma's native apple variety.
Is this the same as Calvados?
No — Calvados is French apple brandy from Normandy; this is an American-style apple brandy made in California.
What proof is Barber Lee Apple Brandy?
84 proof (42% ABV) per the distillery's own site; one retailer lists 90 proof, so a bottle read is requested.
Is it aged?
Yes, in new heavy char barrels — but no aging duration is published, so none is claimed here.
Sonoma Gravensteins in heavy char oak — order Barber Lee Apple Brandy online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.