Last Night's Tipple

One of the things that I find wondrous about high-quality spirits is that they are chameleon-like: they present different facets of their personalities at different times, depending on the conditions under which they are tasted and the moods of the taster. When I tried Laird's Straight Apple Brandy back in June, I wrote that it tasted like apple whiskey, meaning that it had the same aromas and flavors from its barrel aging that I associate with American whiskey (namely, char and vanilla). When I tasted it last night, the char and the vanilla were still there, but my dominant impression was of fresh apples, with cinnamon and nutmeg in the background. It reminded me of a young Calvados, to be honest, something that I didn't think was possible. It was a totally different experience, but similarly satisfying.