American apple brandy & craft eau-de-vie

US Craft

American fruit brandy is older than the United States — and a craft revival has reconnected it to Calvados and eau-de-vie roots while pushing into new fruit entirely.

Signature fruits

🍎Apple🍐Pear🍑Peach🟤Fig🌿Botanical & New-World

Apple brandy is arguably America's first spirit: Laird's has distilled in New Jersey since around 1698, with an official 1780 founding New Jersey Monthly. George Washington produced apple and peach brandy at Mount Vernon Mount Vernon distillery.

A modern craft revival — Clear Creek (Oregon), St. George (California, an early kiwi distiller), Rhine Hall and Koval (Chicago), Copper & Kings (Kentucky), Tin City (Paso Robles) and others — reconnected American distillers to European technique while experimenting with fig, peach and far-flung botanicals.

Sources

Producers from US Craft

Clear Creek Distillery

Hood River / Portland, Oregon · US Craft

A pioneering American craft distiller applying Alsatian eau-de-vie technique to Oregon orchard fruit — plus a Douglas fir eau-de-vie.

PearAppleCherryPlumRaspberryBotanical & New-WorldWasser (ferment → distill)Geist (macerate → distill)Widely available in the US

St. George Spirits

Alameda, California · US Craft

A California craft pioneer of pear, raspberry and cherry eaux-de-vie — and, historically, one of the very few kiwi distillers.

PearRaspberryCherryAppleKiwiWasser (ferment → distill)Geist (macerate → distill)Widely available in the US

Rhine Hall Distillery

Chicago, Illinois · US Craft

A Chicago family distillery making apple, cherry, apricot, plum and tropical-fruit brandies.

AppleCherryApricotPlumWasser (ferment → distill)Limited US import

Tin City Distillery

Paso Robles, California · US Craft

A Paso Robles distiller at the experimental edge — fig, mango, orange, cinnamon, walnut and ghost-pepper brandies.

FigBotanical & New-WorldGeist (macerate → distill)Wasser (ferment → distill)Limited US import

Laird & Company

Scobeyville, New Jersey · US Craft

The oldest licensed distillery in the US, distilling New Jersey applejack since around 1698.

AppleCider brandy (distilled cider)Widely available in the US

Copper & Kings

Louisville, Kentucky · US Craft

A Louisville house making pot-distilled apple brandy, absinthe and barrel-experiment brandies.

AppleCider brandy (distilled cider)Wasser (ferment → distill)Limited US import

Cedar Ridge

Swisher, Iowa · US Craft

An Iowa distillery producing apple and grape brandy.

AppleCider brandy (distilled cider)Limited US import

Koval

Chicago, Illinois · US Craft

A Chicago craft distiller reviving American peach brandy among other fruit spirits.

PeachWasser (ferment → distill)Geist (macerate → distill)Limited US import

Westford Hill Distillers

Ashford, Connecticut · US Craft

A Connecticut distiller of New England pear and apple eau-de-vie.

PearAppleWasser (ferment → distill)Rare / allocated in the US

Nahmias et Fils

Yonkers, New York · US Craft

A Yonkers distiller carrying the Moroccan Jewish Mahia fig-brandy tradition into the US.

FigWasser (ferment → distill)Limited US import