Newsletter
- Colonial Apple BrandyWe were inspired to make CCL by the close connection of apple brandy to the colonies and the early United States, so let’s explore that history. American Apples Modern apples (Malus Domestica) came to the Americas with the early European settlers. French Jesuits started planting apple seeds in the New …
- GrappaIn honor of our new release we dive into the history, flavors, and production of grappa. Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, there are some less-than-enjoyable grappas out there – the same can be said of most any spirit. Certain brands of tequilas and rums bring …
- The Proof is in the PoofToday’s topic looks into the concept of proof. While spirits in the United States are labeled as Alcohol by Volume (ABV), the notion of proof, which is defined as twice the ABV (40% ABV is 80 proof), is deeply ingrained in the industry. Our taxes are paid based on “Proof …
- Pairing Food with Apple BrandyWhile apple brandy is often thought of as an after dinner drink or as part of a pre-dinner cocktail, it’s often a great complement to the meal itself. In Normandy, apple brandy has long been part of the meal. Norman meals can last hours with countless courses of heavy dishes …
- ChartreuseChartreuse is the only liqueur famous enough to have a color named after it. It gets its name from the Chartreuse Mountains and a Carthusian monastery of the same name that has made the liquor since 1764. Much has been written about the complex history of chartreuse, the monks who …
- On The Nature of Apples and PearsIn our Atomos project we are quickly finding that each type of apple we distill brings a unique experience. However many characteristics remain the same between apple distillates In general young apple spirits are sharp, spicy and assertive. In comparison European pear distillates come off the still much softer with …
- A Brief History of Persimmon BrandyIf there’s a topic that we haven’t covered yet, please send us those suggestions – they may become our next writing post! A Brief History of Persimmon Brandy All fruit will ferment. Expose the sugars of fruit to the air and naturally occurring yeasts will start to eat those sugars …
- Evaluating Spirits Chapter 1Today’s deep dive starts an exploration of aromas and flavors that you might encounter as you explore craft spirits. We’ll start the discussion with two common faults that can be found in all spirits but are most likely to occur in fruit brandy and can be surprising to producers of …
- The History of the Newtown Pippin AppleApples do not grow true. If you plant a Gravenstein apple seed (called a pip) the tree that results will not produce Gravenstein apples. It may share some similar traits with the parent apples but it will be its own unique type of apple. Most of the time this seedling …
- A Brief History of Sebastopol BrandyIn today’s newsletter deep dive we take a moment to reflect on local history and those who paved the way for us to do what we do. This is a rich topic with many rabbit holes to explore and we will certainly revisit it in the future, but today we …
- Thoughts on le Terroir de Calvados Part 2In our last newsletter we started an exploration of Calvados with a walk through the orchards and a look at the apples and fermentation of the cider that will become Calvados. Today we continue the study of the terroir of Calvados – moving from the cider to the distillation and …
- Thoughts on le Terroir de Calvados Part 1Today we have part one of a two part reflection on the Terroir of Calvados – the place, the producers, and the many details that make the apple spirits produced in a small region of Normandy unique. At Ambix Spirits we are seeking the terroir of Sonoma County. However, to …
- Alchemy Chat: Distillation DynamicsToday we explore the basics of distillation and the physics of how we turn 7% alcohol by volume (abv) Apple cider into 70% abv, which is the strength at which we collect our brandy. As an example, we will use our Newtown Pippin cider which fermented to 7.4% abv. The …
- Deep Dive: Why Ambix?As you know we like to nerd out with deep dives into the minutia of our craft. Today that deep dive is an exploration of history and the most common questions that we are asked at the tasting room. “Why Ambix?” The shortest but least satisfying answer is that an …
- Pressing Matters Chapter 1It’s been a hectic but productive harvest for us. This has been been our first harvest in our new facility and has been tiring but successful. Harvest in Sonoma County has been much later than normal and we’re seeing 3-4 weeks later than typical dates. We started our harvest back …
- Caves of Steel Chapter 1Estate Harvest Update We have been busy picking our first harvest from our home orchard. Above is an image of over 600 pounds of Virginia Hewes, an amazing apple with great flavor and sugars but a very painful one to harvest as we are collecting thousands of small ping pong …