This is a batch of Applejack. ‘Applejack, like the cereal?’ You might ask. No this is an old colonial drink that you hardly ever see or hear about. Not that distilled spirit from Lairds & Company. This is the real deal that I added a twist to… Hops. Real Applejack is made by fermenting apple cider into hard cider then freezing it and letting the concentrated apple liquor drain through the ice. Water has a different freezing point than alcohol, so you leave the water behind making a very viscous and strong liquor… Applejack. Jacking is the slang name of this process. It throws your ABV up to 20-30% depending on a lot of things but this is technically a ‘freeze fractionation’ or ‘freeze distillation’ although ‘distillation’ is not a proper word. A long lost American drink of our forefathers. Normally it’s stored in oak to mellow it, provide hints of vanilla and creme brûlée. I’ll write more on this as time passes. I plan on making this throughout my life. Cheers!