Calvados Inspired Organic Brandy Joins the Award-Winning Line-up May 1, 2016
SONOMA, CA, APRIL 20, 2016—Sonoma Cider, the award-winning producer of such innovative hard ciders as the The Hatchet, The Pitchfork, The Anvil, and The Washboard, is adding a spirit to its portfolio: Apple Brandy, a Calvados inspired organic brandy which launches May 1, 2016 and is the company’s first branch out into the craft spirit industry.
Sonoma Cider is the popular upstart brand in the exploding hard cider category, rapidly gaining a reputation for its certified organic ingredients and crisp, distinctive flavors. Founded in 2013 by a father-son team, David and Robert Cordtz, Sonoma Cider has been earning high praise from critics and consumers alike. Over the past few years, the brand has been a staple in the winner’s circle at various top competitions across the country, including being named the 2015 Cider Producer of the Year at the New York International Beer Competition.
“I’ve wanted to produce an apple brandy since we started Sonoma Cider in 2013,” says David Cordtz, co-founder/CEO/Cidermaster of Sonoma Cider. “Many Americans aren’t aware of the connection between hard cider and apple brandy. We start with the perfect blend of organic apples, press out the juice, ferment it into hard cider, distill it, and then carefully age the resulting apple brandy to perfection. The most famous example of apple brandy is Calvados from the Normandy region of France. This is our tribute to those French craftsmen and we hope to introduce more Americans to this delicious relative of hard cider.”
Robert Cordtz, co-founder and VP of Operations at Sonoma Cider, adds, “I always love teaming up with friends on projects. When I found out my buddy Jason Jorgensen of Alley 6 Craft Distillery was opening a distillery in Healdsburg, I knew immediately we had to distill some cider. The result of our collaboration was this satisfying, smooth, smoky liquid gold. Our Apple Brandy really shows the range of what we can create with organic apples.”
Sonoma Cider’s Apple Brandy combines the juice from five varieties of organic apples that are fermented at Sonoma Cider’s cidery and double distilled via an alembic copper still at Alley 6 Craft Distillery, also located in Healdsburg, CA. After distillation, the apple brandy is aged in American oak barrels anywhere from eight months to one and a half years, depending on the size of the actual barrel (the smaller the barrel, the quicker the aging process). The result is a unique organic apple brandy that is incredibly smooth on the palate, creating notes of cinnamon baked apples, honey and vanilla on the finish. The Apple Brandy is available in 375 ML hand-filled bottles with a SRP of $34.95. Alcohol by volume is 42.5% (85 proof). To purchase, go to www.sonomacider.com/shop, or visit Sonoma Cider’s new taproom when it opens in Healdsburg, CA early August 2016.
Hard Cider continues to be a growing segment in the beverage industry, experiencing close to a 10 percent increase from 2014 to 2015. In addition, the majority of the country’s larger distributors have now added at least one cider brand to their portfolio. Sonoma Cider produced over 100,000 cases in 2015 and shows no signs of slowing down in 2016. Overall, if cider sales continue to grow at a 10 percent pace, the total number of cases sold in the U.S. will be more than 31.1 million in 2016. (Source: NBWA)
Sonoma Cider offers four, award-winning “Core Ciders” which are available year-round. This includes the signature, apple cider “The Hatchet,” pear-based “The Pitchfork,” bourbon-flavored “The Anvil”, and sarsaparilla-vanilla “The Washboard”. Sonoma Cider also offers other unique flavors through the “Limited Run” series and “Cidermaker Reserve” series.
Sonoma Cider’s main line of products are available at retail liquor stores, supermarkets and natural foods stores in most key U.S. markets. For more information and a list of retailers, please visit www.sonomacider.com.
About Sonoma Cider
Sonoma Cider handcrafts the only full line of organic ciders in the U.S., each made with distinctive, all natural, gluten-free ingredients. Sonoma Ciders are produced from freshly squeezed, organic apples in micro batches to deliver intensity of flavor and a refined experience for this rapidly growing category. The company was founded in 2013 by 20-year veteran cidermaster, David Cordtz, with his son and co-founder, Robert Cordtz. Together they combine decades of industry expertise with next generation dynamism. Learn more at www.SonomaCider.com.
