Argonaut Speculator Brandy

A warm, complex, and well-aged Brandy blend from California’s Gold country.

Argonaut Distilling Company is based in Sanger, California, in the wine country of the central Sacramento Valley. Resident master distiller, second-generation winemaker, and “Brandy Queen” Rita Hansen uses local fruit stock and a large inventory of decades-old casks to craft their signature blends. They have a Vendome column Coffey still on site, but contract some of the distilling to McCall Distillery to take advantage of their Prulho alembic pot stills to create a depth of flavor.

There is simply too much going on with Argonaut Speculator Brandy to give all the details — and details there are ‘a-plenty! Argonaut has been storing barrels of aging Brandy for decades, and they dug deeply into those stocks to create this release. For example, there are no less than nine different grape varietals distilled on two types of stills and across nine different agings — from three to nineteen years. Bottled at 43% ABV, this complex California Brandy nuggets is separated from Cognac by point of origin only.

Smartass corner:
The original “argonauts” were the band of warriors that sailed with the mythic Greek hero Jason, encountering adventures while returning from the Trojan War. The name comes from the name of their ship — The Argo. The prospectors and explorers of the California Gold Rush picked up the nickname.