SMALL-BATCH
CALIFORNIA BRANDY
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REAL
CALIFORNIA BRANDY
BRANDYLAB is a true small-batch California Brandy handcrafted in the Golden State's Central Valley. A rare German-style pot still and a column still formerly used to make rocket fuel are employed to capture the precise heart of the distillate and ensure the proper flavor profile.
BRANDYLAB also utilizes a unique production technique by aging and finishing the Brandy in up to seven different oak barrels to get the perfect flavor profile of California Brandy. BRANDYLAB captures all the hallmarks of a California Brandy - an exceptionally balanced fruit-forward flavor paired with a delicate nose never overpowered by wood.
The flavors of BrandyLab are predominantly apricot and stone fruit with notes of vanilla, cocoa, caramel, and almond.
respect for age
preservation of traditions
What’s the story behind the name?
When we kicked off this project, the distillery essentially turned into a scientist’s lab, with liquid samples everywhere as we tried to replicate exactly what we thought California Brandy stood for – a balanced yet fruit-forward spirit. It struck us that our master distiller, Erik Ettner, had created his own mad scientist’s laboratory, so the BRANDYLAB name seemed to fit. It also really captures the spirit of the project, as we employ and encourage a lot of experimentation in our Brandy making.
If some of the Brandy in BRANDYLAB is 10 years old and you have only been Master Distiller since 2014, who worked on this previously?
Our previous Master Distiller, Tom Vitali, regularly laid down interesting Brandy as part of the exploration process, and lucky for all of us he did, as we are able to incorporate 10-year Brandy into BRANDYLAB - which Erik saw through the maturation process after Tom retired in 2014.
What’s unique about your distilling team?
In addition to having one of the youngest master distillers in the business, BRANDYLAB boasts a diverse multicultural distilling team with first-generation Americans descending from Mexico, Ireland, and Japan. This adds a unique perspective to the Brandy production as each brings the knowledge of flavors and aromas from their cultures to BRANDYLAB.
Master Distiller
at BRANDYLAB
BRANDYLAB’s master distiller is Erik Ettner. At 34 years old, he is one of the youngest master distillers in the country. Erik grew up in the Central Valley, not far from the distillery, and attended Fresno State University. He started out as a lab technician, but through his work ethic and constant innovation and experimentation in the distillery, was elevated to a leadership position.
Erik was elevated to Master Distiller in 2014.