A very worthy competitor to the best Calvados, in our opinion. We crush and ferment the whole apple, using Golden Delicious apples grown in the Yakima Valley, and distill. Following the customs of the Calvados makers of Normandy, the high proof apple spirit is aged in a combination of old and new Cognac barrels, made of Limousin oak, for at least eight years. The result is a beautiful amber brandy, with a remarkable amount of apple in the nose, but with the sophistication and complexity gained from all those years in oak. This has a lot of appeal to the traditional brandy drinker as well, as its color and barrel aged qualities are more familiar.