Willie Smith Classic Apple Brandy (700ml)

Head south from Hobart into the Huon Valley, and you'll find where ex-convict, Charles Oates and his family planted the region's first apple trees. Now home to Willie Smith's distillery, Willie came to the Huon Valley in the 1800s as another pioneer descended from convicts. Passionate about farming, he saw the great soil, the bountiful supply of fresh water and the clean air that the Huon Valley offered and he knew this was the place for him. Willie’s wife, Elsie, also inspired the direction of William Smith & Son’s. She was the daughter of Charles Oates, the man who drove a new way of life in the Huon Valley in 1844. This label represents updated packaging from what was previously known as Charles Oates Apple Brandy. The contemporary venture has gone to considerable lengths, even importing the first alembic Charentais copper still into Australia - modelled on the French originals. Their spirits are a nod to the tradition of Calvados in North-West France, but with an Aussie twist: They're aged in 120 litre Australian Muscat, Port and Sherry barrels. Tasted from a 20ml sample, the brandy pours brass gold. Swirling releases subtle scents of apple tart, quince paste and dustings of cinnamon. Orchard fruits vie with spicy oak but the fruity finish wins out in a delicious surge of apple pie, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Strikes some resemblance to fruity or sherried Speyside single malt. Try it as a digestif or with mature cheeses. 42% Alc./Vol.