Our recipe pays homage to Arthur "Skipper" Ford, who made cider and farmhouse applejack from the exceptional heirloom apples that he grew at his ranch on Howell Mountain (Napa County). As a manager for the Dole Fruit Company, Skipper had access to heirloom varieties of fruit, many of which he cultivated on the ranch. The Arkansas Black Apple, with its tart flavor, was a family favorite. Sadly, Skipper and the Timberlane Ranch are long gone.

After years of hearing the legends of Skipper and his Applejack, John convinced his wife (and greatgranddaughter of Skipper), Samantha, to take a stab at recreating this classic spirit. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.

Arkansas Black Straight Applejack contains 100% apples, around 25 pounds per bottle. It is never blended with grain spirits. The apple “mash bill” varies from year to year, depending on what types of apples are available at harvest. Typically it includes a mix of several varieties of sweet, crisp, and cider apples. The apples are inspected, washed and crushed, then fermented and distilled with the must to preserve the fresh apple flavors. The spirit is then rested at just over 100 proof in a blend of French Limousin and American Bourbon barrels.

The finished product is a selected blend of barrels of different type and age, with each component of the blend chosen for its particular characteristics. The honey-freshness and assertiveness of the younger spirit complements the mellow, vanilla tones of more well-rested brandy. It is never cold-stabilized, and proof adjustments are made with fresh apple distillate. Try it on the rocks, in one of the delicious cocktails on this site, or in any cocktail that calls for brandy, rye or bourbon whiskey.

The Skipper was my Great Grandfather, and probably one of the coolest, least appropriate, most exciting men that ever lived. He was an amazing sailor, a great domino player, a ladies man and a grower of heirloom apples.

Truth be told, the Skipper was mostly a Gin drinker. He even sang songs about Gin and was known to cross regatta finish lines with a martini in hand. (if you read his ships log, almost every day starts with “woke up, made gin fizzes”). But, due to his abundance of beautiful apples, and his fascination with adult beverages generally, he learned the fine art of cider and applejack production at his ranch on Howell Mountain.

Skipper passed away several years before I was born, but like many well loved people, his legend lives on in his stories, his apple orchard, and his sailboat, Yankee, which we continue to race to this day.