When a person had breathing problems related to an infection (tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc), Edgar Cayce frequently recommended inhaling the fumes of Apple Brandy as an antiseptic. This was before the first antibiotic drugs were developed. A partially-filled charred oak keg was used as an evaporation chamber. The charred oak keg filters impurities from the brandy, and also adds flavoring compounds from the oak. (If you want a keg with a spigot, I have those too.)
Brandy is made from distilled (concentrated) wine. European regulations require brandy to be made from grapes, but allow for fruit brandies if they are clearly labeled. I’ve noticed “apple-flavored brandy”, which is actually grape brandy with a little apple flavor. I don’t think Mr. Cayce would have suggested apple flavored grape brandy for treating the lungs.
Laird’s was the brand usually recommended by Cayce. This American company has been making Apple Brandy for over two hundred years. Only one of my local liquor stores had apple brandy in stock. The upscale liquor store had Laird’s full line of products:
Cayce pointed out in various readings that Applejack is not the same as distilled apple brandy. Applejack usually refers to fermented apple cider that has been concentrated through various methods. Apple Brandy is distilled apple cider/wine. The process of making brandy separates and concentrates alcohol and other volatile flavor compounds from apple wine, leaving behind many of the other components of apple wine including the color. The color in the aged brandy comes from time in a charred oak barrel, not the apple juice it was originally made from.
I wanted to know about other options, so I went to a less-upscale store and eventually spoke to the owner. He talked to his distributors and bought six bottles of Roner apple brandy. This was $5 cheaper than the cheapest of the Laird’s brandies at the other store.
At first I was a little disappointed that the Roner’s brandy was only 76 proof (38% alcohol by volume). Then I noticed it was a 1-Liter bottle, rather than the more-common 0.75L. I calculated that this bottle of Roner’s is 2/3 the price of the cheapest Laird’s apple brandy, and 1/2 the price of the most expensive.
Cost per liter of alcohol:
Roner Apple Brandy — $60.03
Laird’s Jersey Lightning Apple Brandy — $85.33
Laird’s Straight Applejack 86 — $86.82
Laird’s Straight Apple Brandy — $90.67
Laird’s Old Apple Brandy — $136.67
Laird’s Single Barrel — $108.30
The retail price of my bottle of Roner Apple Brandy was $22.81 + tax.
Links:
Laird’s Jersey Lightning – 100 proof Apple Brandy.
How to Make Applejack (wine, not brandy) – This page has some discussion on how to make concentrated apple wine (not the Apple Brandy recommended by Edgar Cayce).