XO Alambic?
XO Alambic ~ a Washington brandy house with a rather curious name. Please allow us to explain.
XO universally stands for hugs and kisses, and simply for reading this, we lovingly sends those to you. In brandy-speak, however, XO in Old World nomenclature is shorthand for extra-old, but you might very well say that it means extraordinary. A cursory glance at our product range, and you may agree that it definitely fits both of those definitions, but more appropriately, it can also stand for exquisite and opulent!
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The term alambic refers to the traditional style of distillation that relies on a batch technique in a single pot still ~ the ultimate in artisanal production of fine brandy. Batch production contrasts greatly with continuous distillation, which is most commonly associated with large-scale spirits production on what is commonly called a continuous, Coffey or patent still. The distillation apparatus at XO Alambic is a 2000-litre, dual-kettle, pot-and-column hybrid still, referred to as a Figgins Reciprocator, a technical innovation brought to life by the master distiller himself.
It's about agriculture. It's about alchemy. It's about time.
Agriculture. Alchemy. Time. These three elements are conspicuously on display at XO Alambic. Our belief is that the pursuit of excellence in craft-distilled brandy involves all three of these, and thus, all of them conspire in the climb toward the creation of perfect brandy. Farm-grown fruits, fermented slowly and then double-distilled, are patiently matured to become worthy of the XO badge. Considering that the distiller's own Washington brandy has been secretly maturing for the past sixteen years, the impending releases are cause for great anticipation!
