ELSEWHEN APPLEJACK | Anomaly

ELSEWHEN Anomaly – Cell Division Collaboration
700ml, 48% alc/vol limited release of 150 individually numbered bottles

Anomaly: unearthing the unexpected, not past, not future, not normal. It’s about discovering an improbable fusion of Rough Hands and Cell Division. Barrel aged into a further dimension: Cell Division Time Lords Apricot Rye Farmhouse Ale Cask Finish lends subtle notes of spice, stone fruit and minerality. 

Pear and Apple Blend. Bottled in 2024.

Tasting notes:

With four years in a small charred cask and then bottled at 48%, Anomaly has a lot of the rich fruit and caramel intensity of Elsewhen's Singularity single cask expression. The used cask had a little less influence, and without question the rye beer, saison yeast and apricots all added further layers of complexity. 

More fruitiness, more yeast complexity, possibly a slight hint of the spicy grain and an incomparably delicious aroma.

Process: 

For this Anomaly collaboration with Cell Division Brewing, a very special pear/apple brandy cask was selected. Elsewhen removed the brandy and lent Jamie from Cell Division the cask. He used it to age his Time Lords Apricot Rye Farmhouse Ale.

Elsewhen then returned the pear/apple brandy to the cask and aged it until August 2024.  Then began the process of slow proofing down, stopping at 48% abv. 

Slow, seasonal, labour intensive... worth it.

How to Enjoy: 

ELSEWHEN Anomaly Cell Division Collaboration has much in common with our Singularity Single Cask series, and is very enjoyable neat or over ice. We also love it in a spirit-forward cocktail such as:

• Manhattan
• Old Fashioned
• Applejack Negroni

What is Applejack?

While technically Applejack is an apple brandy, ageing in charred American oak barrels is very similar to spirits like bourbon or rye whiskey, and you’ll notice that the caramel and vanilla work beautifully with the distinct smooth fruit complexity of cider brandy aged this way.

About Elsewhen & Rough Hands

ELSEWHEN is an embodiment of the possibilities of Applejack. It takes inspiration from great historic traditions as well as past dreams of the future. It imagines that future where robots lovingly hand make our spirits while we enjoy a life of leisure. The most delicious premium crafted spirits don’t always have to be serious.

Rough Hands is the creative output of Fritz Kuckuck and Maria Grau. They have had projects ranging from gin barrel aged beer to light festival art installations to botanical ciders.

More flavour. More fun.

The company came about after homebrewing led to home distilling... which led to opening NZ’s first “craft distillery”. When that distillery was bought out by partners, Fritz and Maria were free to do whatever they wanted. They realised they had developed a love of rum, but had a desire to distil local produce. Could they make rum from apples? They haven’t yet, but…

Looking at a return to the spirits industry, they knew it just had to be bigger. Not in a commercial, make-more-money kind of way, but in a this-needs-to-make-a-difference kind of way.

Cocktails to Mars! What if we start taking spirits off planet? What would really matter then?

These are the questions they asked themselves in the early stages of Elsewhen. Having grow up in a world of 1960’s and 1970’s sci-fi, and developing a love for early 20^th century design and drinking culture, they wanted to create a retro-future universe where applejack was never forgotten.

Each batch of Applejack is a vintage, made from a single harvest year. When it runs out, it’s gone.