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

Stray Cat Gin 375 CutoutLouisville distiller offers rare, very limited edition release

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 11, 2015) –  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.

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.

“You can have so much fun distilling, it’s a very creative platform upon which to innovate,” said founder Joe Heron. “Gin is not really our thing, truthfully. But we have experimented occasionally, and this turned out really fantastically. And 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.”

“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,” said head distiller Brandon O’Daniel. “This is spectacular. It’s a ballsy, confident, independent feline of a gin.”

Taste: Strong juniper backbone with bright citrus, lemongrass and baking soda. The bitter-sweet Old Tom style is racy and fresh. 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.

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.

About Copper & Kings American Brandy Co.:
Copper & Kings uses small batch copper pot-distillation to forge untraditional, non-derivative, pure pot-distilled American apple and grape brandies and absinthe that are non-chill filtered with no added sugar, colors, flavors or synthetic chemicals. The state-of-the-art distillery exclusively focuses on the distillation of brandy. Copper & Kings, located at 1121 E. Washington St. in Butchertown, is owned by beverage entrepreneurs Joe and Lesley Heron. Products are currently available in 18 states in the South, Midwest and Northeast. For more information, visit www.copperandkings.com or follow @CopperAndKings on Facebook and Twitter.