As If Wines "Potential" Brandy

“Potential” has a warm, beguiling nose of caramel and almond toffee, subtle baking spices, and graham cracker crust. On the tongue, the brandy expands into a browned buttery coating. Flavors of baked fig, chocolate brownie, and warm cardamom give rise to baked strawberries and stone fruits. Base notes of buckwheat and nougat follow. This brandy is sweet but not cloying and silky to the palate. 

As If "Potential" is something of a happy accident. Its genesis was a test distillation batch at the beginning of a brandy project that Alie began nine years ago. It originally wasn't destined to become the final product, however, a turn of fate caused this batch to become a very special and limited-quantity aged brandy. Fermented from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes, about 120 gallons of the wine was distilled in a continuous column still down to about 13 gallons of brandy. It was placed into a small French oak barrel and left to mature without topping for five years. During that time, the angel's share reduced the volume to less than 8 gallons; this quantity was subsequently aged in glass demijohns for another four years, and diluted with distilled water to 80 proof for final bottling. The result is a single-cask, and very rare, aged New York brandy, hardly found anywhere else in the state. "Potential" is unadulterated with any additives, containing no added sugars, colorants, caramels, or liquid oak flavorings that are commercially used to make brandies appear "older" and taste sweeter. Additionally, it is neither fined nor filtered, thus maintaining the maximum quantity of natural oils that give aged brandy its celebrated flavor.