334: Laird's & Co. Apple Jack & Brandy Barrel Aging | Part 2

334: Laird's & Co. Apple Jack & Brandy Barrel Aging | Part 2

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist August 31, 2022 Duration: 1:02:08

CiderDays 2.0 Apple Jack tixs

How the Laird Family honed the making of Apple Jack

In Part 1 of this two part series on Laird's & Company, we met with 9th generation Lisa Laird Dunn. Lisa is the COO and Global Ambassador of this family business. In that episode #333 Lisa shared the family's 324 year history beginning in 1698 to present day. In this episode, we meet both Lisa's son Gerard and her father Larrie Laird. Gerard joined his mother to discuss the current state and future of Laird's and Larrie brings us into the massive barrel room for a walk about aging casks of Laird's famous Apple Brandies and Apple Jack.

Ep 334 Laird Family Lisa (9th generation), Gerard (10th generation), Larrie (8th generation)

In this chat

  • Laird's product line – Apple Jack to Apple Brandy
  • Let's talk oak barrels - How many and the kind? Oldest in use?
  • Laird's Virginia based distillery in North Garden – lets discuss this location and sourcing local apples
    • Listeners hold southern apple in high esteem and would love to know varieties used and orchards
  • What Laird's Apple Brandy is and what it is not
    • American's misconception of Apple Brandy - It is NOT flavored apple brandy.
  • Next steps for Laird's & Company
    • A museum, visitor center and tasting room
    • Cider barrel aged in Laird's brandy barrels.

Listen to Part 1 on the Laird's Family history in Episode 333

333Laird barrel hall 300x200 Larrie, Gerard, Lisa

Contact for Laird's & Company

Mentions in this Chat

Click for CiderDays 2.0 tickets

Click  to purchase CiderDays 2.0 Tickets

Tickets links below to CiderDays 2.0 event

Mentions in this chat

Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
297: Flavorful Righteous Odd Apples [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:46
Are Apples Odd? They sure are for those who solely define apples not by their names (which are often rather exotic like Mountain Rose or Kingston Black) but rather call them by their color, red, green or yellow. In this…
296: Bauman's |Oregon's Destination Farm Cidery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:59
Who is Bauman Cider Christine Walter is the cidermaker and visionary of Bauman's Cider. She grew up on an apple farm in Oregon runned by her family. As she tells it, Angry Orchard's "Crisp" was the first cider she ever t…
295: Western Cider | Missoula, Montana [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:59
Who is Western Cider Texans Michael Billingsley and Matthew LaRubbio are childhood friends who now both live in Montana and founded Western Cider in 2010. The cidery is based in Missoula and has an indoor and outdoor tas…
294: Lockhorn Hard Cider | Bozeman, Montana [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:48
Who is Lockhorn Hard Cider Alaskan natives Anna and Glenn Deal opened Lockhorn Cider in 2010 in Bozeman, Montana. Anna is a botanist and Glenn came to Montana to study and is a nurse. Lockhorn makes modern ciders with ap…
293: Lee McAlpine of Montana CiderWorks | Established 2002 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:51
Who is Montana CiderWorks Lee McAlpine is the Founder and Owner of Montana Ciderworks based in Darby, Montana. In 2022, Lee will celebrate the 20th year of operations and has a special Pommeau release made with her cider…
292: A Little Italy at Westwind Orchard | New York [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:39
Who is Westwind Orchard and their cider Fabio Chizzola & Laura Ferrara are the owners/farmers of Westwind Orchard located in Accord, New York on the west dies of the Hudson River. The orchard was bought in 2002 and was a…
291: The Century Farm of Ploughman Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:39
Who is Ploughman Cider Ploughman Cider is based in Wenksville Pennsylvania on a family farm owned by the Wenks Family for the past 100 years. The farm is called Three Springs and it is exactly 1.5 miles from the ancestra…
290: Publican Perfection at Tattiebogle Ciderworks | Pennsylvania [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:32
The Publican at Tattiebogle CiderWorks Cidermaker Curt Henry has been envisioning a future cidery in Acme Pennsylvania overlooking the lowland valley in southwestern portion of this commonwealth for years. In 2017 he had…
289: The Road Less Traveled at Big Hill Ciderworks | PA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:35
The Makers at Big Hill Ciderworks Troy Lehman and Ben Kishbaugh are long time friends who originally met while working in the automotive industry. Years later they team up on a very new career path as cidermakers! Both m…
288: Spacetime Mead & Cider Works | Pennsylvania [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:38
Who is Spacetime Mead & Cider Works Dan Schreffler had been home brewing and fermenting for many years before opening Spacetime Mead & Cider Works in 2018. He is a self proclaimed science nerd, which is part of the reaso…