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
277: Spotlight on Cider | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar Pt 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:13
Getting Cider into the Spotlight This episode is Part 4 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you li…
276: Tempted by Cider | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:59
Tempted by Cider This episode is Part 3 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you like the Audience…
275: Cider Brand Strategy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:19
Listen to Part 1 of this 4-part series by going to episode 274: Cider's Audience. Brand Strategy for Cider Brand Strategy has the same goal no matter what you are selling. In short it is to get your product or services o…
274: Cider's Audience | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:09
Who is your audience? No matter what business venture, knowing your audience (targeted consumers) is key to one's success and is the first topic of conversation for the panel discussion titled Bring the Bellies to the Ba…
273: The Mountain & Tub | Stories in Ciderville [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:59
Climb Every Mountain Wendy LeBlanc and Patrick Mann met in Washington State before moving to Germany to settle into the 1785 homestead owned by Patrick's parents. One would think that living near the 14,000 foot (4267.2…
272: Blend Cider & Build an Orchestra | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:36
Blend Cider is Like Building an Orchestra Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario has helped Ria sort through the process of getting cider that has been conditon for over two years into the bottle! Now that we have le…
271: The Exquisite Slurry for Bottling Cider | Ask Ryan 2021 Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:07
The Yeast and Sugar Slurry Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario continue on with helping Ria get ready to bottle cider that has been conditioning for over 2 years! In this episode we discuss the amount of sugar to…
270: Cidermaker Tips to Avoid Bottle Bombs | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Bottle Safely to Avoid Bottle Bombs If like me you grew up in a house where your parents made homemade everything, chances are they also dabbled in making homemade soda, wine, beer, and cider. Mine sure did and I still r…
269: Gross Lees in the Barrel | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:13
The Ask Ryan Series is back! In Spring of 2020 the first Ask Ryan series with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider was posted. This year we return with Ryan once again to dive into more cidermaking questions. In this segment…
268: Cider Canada | North America's Newest Association [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:47
Cider Canada / Cidre Canada Barry Rooke knows that the Canadian cider market is growing and believes in it so much that he and his partner Wendy co-founded The Cider Crate, a website that hosts their blog, a map of cider…