Copper and Kings is a brand that intrigues me. It takes some chutzpah to set up shop in Kentucky to distill *brandy* (and gin). To their credit, they do it well, and this limited release offering is a credit to their skillfulness. The nose is impressive - aged notes of leather and old wood play off of hints of apple, peppermint, white pepper, cardamom, and galangal, in way that suggests a dry character...expressive, but this is not a ripe sort of affair. The palate is round and coating, rich without being heavy, and true to the nose, it’s a dry, wood-forward profile marked by apples and mint at the forefront, with spices and dry leather and wood closing things out. A unique brandy, worth seeking out, and a good counterpoint to the assertion that brandy has to be sweet or fruit-dominated.