ELSEWHEN APPLEJACK | Anomaly - Coconut Cask Finish

ELSEWHEN Anomaly – Coconut Cask Finish
700ml, 44% alc/vol, limited release of 200 individually numbered bottles

New Zealand’s only Applejack, aged in charred American oak and finished in a real Coconut seasoned cask for a delightful tropical twist. Inspired by a coconut old fashioned, shines in spirit forward cocktails. The most delicious premium crafted spirits don’t always have to be serious.

Bronze Medal the 2024 New Zealand Spirit Awards

Tasting notes:

This Anomaly punches up the subtle oak-cask coconut notes found in our Applejack. The Coconut Cask finish leaps from the glass as toasty, slightly malty aromas, neatly followed by island flavours of fresh baked macaroons with a creamy macadamia nut texture, leaving marzipan and apple notes to shine in a lingering finish.

How to Enjoy: 

ELSEWHEN Anomaly Coconut Cask Finish was inspired by a coconut old fashioned and shines in spirit forward cocktails. The gentle coconut sweetness also balances nicely in tangy highballs and fruity sours. This decadent tropical variation excels as:

• Viale di Cocco – Our modern twist on the classic Negroni
• Coconut Old Fashioned
• ELSEWHEN Island Mule (with ginger and lime)

Process: 

We went a bit off-world with this, using cask strength applejack loaded with multiple real coconut elements to season a charred oak cask, and then rested applejack from a selection of casks for several months to infuse new complex layers of apple, coconut and oak. (Minimal filtration has left a haze, and may produce some sediment over time.)

Slow, seasonal, labour intensive – we think it’s worth it.

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.