Korbel can only ship BRANDY within the state of California.
Brandy Master's Notes
Korbel 25
was distilled in a copper-lined “triple effect” column still. The
distillation process is exactly the same as for our Korbel Classic
Brandy. The first column, removes the alcohol and aromatic components
from the wine, leaving behind water and other wine components that do not
distill, such as acids and tannins. The second column concentrates the
alcohol and aromatics to approximately 169 Proof. The third column removes
impurities which can cause off flavors and results in a smooth rich flavor.
The real
essence of Korbel 25 is of course in the aging. It was aged for over 25 years
in older 52-gallon American oak whiskey barrels. We deliberately selected
older barrels so that the flavors extracted from the barrel would not overwhelm
the subtle character of the brandy. This results in a lighter colored
brandy that lets the flavor of the wine it was distilled from
shine.
Each
year, we expect evaporation losses, or more elegantly, the angel’s share of
about 4%. Every decade or so, the barrels are emptied into a tank,
blended and put back into a smaller number of the same barrels. This
keeps them topped up, otherwise there would be nothing left after 25
years! The loss of the angel’s share concentrates the flavor of the
brandy, while maintaining its more refined character.
At
bottling we add nothing but pure water, bottling Korbel 25 as a pure “straight”
California brandy.
Brandy Profile
Appellation: California
Distillation: Copper-Lined Continuous Column
Colum Distillation Proof: 169 Proof
Barrel Aging: Over 25 Years In 52-Gallon American Whiskey
Barrels Barrel Aging Proof: 130 Proof
Bottling Proof: 80 Proof (40% By Volume)
Cases Produced: 50 Cases
* Unfortunately there is no discounting allowed on this new product.