Osocalis Distillery

Food and Beverage ServicesCalifornia, United States2-10 Employees

Osocalis is a small, artisanal distillery in Soquel, California. The name Osocalis is the original Native American name for Soquel, today part of the greater Santa Cruz area. We use a small antique alambic Charentais still, imported from Cognac, to produce brandies using grapes and apples from the cooler coastal regions of California. We strive to produce products that have the length, elegance and finesse of Old World brandies, such as Cognac and Calvados, but with the fruit intensity and structure of California wines.

Founded in the early 1990's, Osocalis represents the second generation of small American distillers to use the combination of Old World techniques with New World fruit. The first generation of artisan distillers in California, including Germain-Robin in Ukiah and RMS in Carneros, demonstrated the intensity and richness that can be achieved from brandies derived from California fruit. At Osocalis, our brandy is based primarily on Colombard and Pinot Noir, though we also distill a wide array of wines such as Marsanne, Riesling, Syrah, Grenache, and Semillon. In fact, it is the art of blending these brandies from a variety of fruit sources which gives California brandies their very special style.

The emphasis at Osocalis will always be on optimizing the complex aromas and flavors of fine alambic brandy. This requires the patience to wait many years for proper aging before releasing a given brandy and a commitment to using the finest quality fruit available.

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