Finally, a brandy that’s actually good, we’ve been having more than a few middling to lower tiers. There is a drawback though – you’re certainly paying for that ‘goodness’. It might, however, be worth it because ultimately this is a very pleasant, mellow, and warming beverage.
We’re also fairly certain this is the first time we’ve seen a German brandy – most offerings are either American, cognac, or cognac adjacent – but it actually makes sense that Germans would be good at something like this because if German wine has taught us anything it’s that chucking it in a charred barrel for 8 years is certainly the best option.
What they Say: “As long ago as 1908, the company founder Hugo Asbach created the unmistakable Asbach Privatbrand – initially, strictly limited and exclusively for family and friends. Asbach Privatbrand has been matured for at least 8 years in small Limousin oak barrels and is ennobled by the secret Asbach maturing and refining process. Asbach Privatebrand owes its unique and incomparably smooth taste to the distillation of selected wines only from the best wine-growing areas.”
Taste: 7.0 – You initially get that sweetness and more caramel-like flavor, with the grapes being nice and mellow.
Aftertaste: 6.0 – This will sound suspect, but smoked grapes. It really does taste like someone put a bunch of grapes or raisins in a smoker. It’s not like Islay peat level at all, but it does carry for a while
Burn/Smooth: 7.0 – There’s certainly a nice warm mellow burn here. Nothing sharp, but it’s also not like silky smooth either.
Aroma: 5.0 – It’s not super sweet, and has a nice blend of oak and grape flavor. It’s also thankfully mature enough to not have a terrible off smell, or that of burning alcohol. While not as complex as other brandy or cognacs, it’s nice.
Honesty: 4.0 – Oh it’s wanky sure, but the main infraction here is the word “ennobled” which is just too damn high-brow (it means to make something noble, and like c’mon dude). We’ll excuse the “Once the Upon a Time” lettering as the Germans did kind of invent that, and the rest is actually okay, but it’s that word.
Mixability: 6.25
W/ Rocks: 5.5 – It mutes everything down just so far. Nothing sort of combines it’s just turned down from a 9 to a 7 in terms of intensity.
Sidecar: 7.0 – That is a nice sidecar, but do try to go just a little bit more under on the lemon juice we found (again your results and juices will vary). Once you get the ratio right though it’s very pleasant.
Value: 4.5 – Hmm, that is actually quite a lot. We purchased this on a sale so it was much cheaper, but given the regular price, it’s hard to fully recommend. It is without a doubt a good brandy, but it’s a tad pricey.
Google Shop Average: $44
Website: https://asbach.de/weiche.htm
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 39.75/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.68 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: As stated we got this on sale so the price tag doesn’t sting our personal views on it, and truly having a glass of this neat while watching some Youtube to wind down for the night is really delightful.
