Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. Launches Stray Cat Barrel Aged Gin

By Chilled Magazine

Louisville-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. is launching a very limited release, small batch, artisanal gin.

Double distilled in a Vendome copper pot still, the apple brandy-based spirit was made with classic gin botanicals and aged in a medium-char Serbian juniper barrel for 12 months. It is non-chill filtered and unadulterated by any post distillation infusion of flavor or color.

“You can have so much fun distilling, it’s a very creative platform upon which to innovate. Gin is not really our thing, truthfully. But we have experimented occasionally, and this turned out really fantastically. And it is also very unusual for a gin, in terms of cloudy appearance and creamy mouth-feel. The apple-brandy base gives a natural ‘Old Tom’ style profile, and one barrel in a cellar is essentially a stray – so we called it the Stray Cat. We also have a very strong affection for Brian Setzer.”
– Founder Joe Heron

Stray Cat Barrel Aged Gin

Stray Cat Barrel Aged Gin

Only 750 bottles (375mL each) will be produced and sold at the distillery store, with a tiny selection available for superlative bars and liquor stores. The original fine art label is illustrated by renowned artist Douglas Miller.

“We don’t dabble at distilling. For us to release a gin, it needed to be exceptional, something that reflects what we do with our American brandy and absinthe, something unique that we can be very, very proud of. This is spectacular. It’s a ballsy, confident, independent feline of a gin.”
– Head Distiller Brandon O’Daniel

Copper & Kings Stray Cat Gin (94 proof/47% ABV)

$40 per 375mL bottle

Appearance: Unusually cloudy and creamy
Aroma: Fresh cut spruce with juniper and citrus, as if pine trees bore oranges as fruit
Taste: Strong juniper backbone with bright citrus, lemongrass and baking soda. The bitter-sweet Old Tom style is racy and fresh
Finish: Crisp, silky smooth, and viscous with a creamy mouth-feel

The distillery also produces the following portfolio of fine distilled spirits:

Copper & Kings Craft Distilled Brandy (90 proof/45% ABV) – $35 for 750 mL bottle

Copper & Kings Immature Brandy (90 proof/45% ABV) – $30 for 750 mL bottle

Copper & Kings Absinthe Blanche (130 proof/65% ABV) – $55 for 750 mL bottle

Copper & Kings Un-Aged Apple Brandy (90 Proof/45% ABV) – $30 per 750mL bottle

Copper & Kings is available in 18 markets includes: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

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