Herbal-brined Alpine aged nine months with bold nutty and savory notes.
Raw cow's milk Swiss Alpine from Appenzell, aged 9+ months. Firm paste, tyrosine crunch, herbal brine-washed rind. Order online.
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Appenzeller Edel, the Purple Label, is a raw cow's milk Alpine from the Appenzell region of northeast Switzerland, aged a minimum of nine months. This is the longer-aged sibling of the classic Appenzeller, and the extra time in the cave is what you taste.
The paste is firm and dense, pale gold, and breaks in clean slabs under the knife with a scatter of tyrosine crystals that give a soft crunch through the middle. The rind is hand-washed throughout aging with the Sulz, a proprietary herbal brine of wine, cider, herbs and spices whose exact recipe is famously guarded by only a handful of people. That wash is the whole personality of the cheese, it pushes an aromatic, savory-spicy note through the outer paste that sets it apart from every other Alpine on the counter.
On the palate it opens with toasted hazelnut and brown butter, then the herbal brine pulls through the middle with a warm, gentle spice on the back of the palate. The finish is long and savory, more concentrated than the younger black label, with the nutty pull you want from a properly aged Swiss wheel. If you already love a cave-aged Gruyère but want something with a little more attitude coming off the rind, the Edel is right in the sweet spot.
Firm and dense, breaks in clean slabs under the knife with a scatter of crunchy tyrosine crystals through the paste.
Bold and aromatic, the herbal brine wash pushes savory and spicy notes forward while the extra aging pulls out a deep nutty pull underneath.
Long savory finish that holds on the palate, warm spice and toasted nut sticking around well past the swallow.
Most of the fresh milk has cooked off by nine months, leaving a quiet buttery echo rather than a milky note up front.
Toasted hazelnut and brown butter run through the middle of the paste, a hallmark of a properly aged Alpine.
The herbal brine wash gives a savory, faintly vegetal character on the rind that carries a little way into the paste.
A gentle warm spice on the back of the palate from the brine wash, more aromatic than piquant.
Washed rind
The rind is hand-washed with the traditional Appenzeller herbal brine, adding an aromatic, savory-spicy edge that scents the outer paste.
Appenzeller stands on its own, but the right partners turn a wedge into a moment. Regional pairings first — they were built for each other.
Aromatic whites and a light-bodied Pinot Noir match the herbal brine without overpowering the nutty paste, while a dry cider echoes the alpine tradition.
Crisp orchard fruit and a touch of honey balance the spice from the brine wash, while mustard picks up on the savory herbal notes in the rind.
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Hand-cut to order the day it ships. Packed cold for overnight delivery.
Taste it for yourself →Cold-ship 2-day overnight nationwide
