A debut from Jasper Hill Farm is always newsworthy on Planet Cheese, but this recently launched blue could be a supernova. The Whole Foods monger who alerted me to it called it “lovely to say the least” and cradled the package in her arms like a baby. Even my husband enjoyed it, which, when it comes to blue cheese, is not a bet I ever make. It’s fruity, winey and moist, with an offbeat shape and novel packaging. Everything about this Vermont newcomer screams “holiday cheese boards.”

Made with raw cow’s milk from Jasper Hill’s own herd, Withersbrook is a four-pound cube. Not a wheel, not a square, not a cylinder like Stilton. The odd format was an expensive choice because Jasper Hill didn’t have the necessary draining molds, and such uncommon forms are costly—probably a six-figure investment for a full set.

The creamery started R&D with only one form. “Mateo probably picked it up on a trip to Europe,” said Zoe Brickley, a Jasper Hill spokesperson. Mateo Kehler, the creamery co-owner, is the sort of mad scientist who will try anything once. The concept for Withersbrook was to infuse it with spirits, but which type?

“Every time we made Bayley Hazen”— Jasper Hill’s other blue cheese —“we would make one cube and seal it with a glass of something from Mateo’s entertaining cabinet,” says Brickley.

The winner was Eden Ice Cider, a local product made from apple juice condensed naturally by freezing weather. When Withersbrook is 60 days old, it’s sealed in a moisture-proof pouch with the ice cider and held for another four months. Curiously, the natural rind that the cheese develops during those first 60 days dissolves in the pouch. Withersbrook looks like a rindless cheese, but it wasn’t initially. In fact, until it goes in the pouch, Withersbrook is identical to Bayley Hazen in all but shape.

The Withersbrook I purchased had a pale paste and not much veining. It looked like a goat blue. Judging from the image on Jasper Hill’s website, most batches have more abundant veining. What’s surprising is how different the cheese is from its fraternal twin, Bayley Hazen, which is more buttery and toasty in aroma, like a Saltine cracker. Withersbrook is creamier, a little spicier, and definitely more fruity and lactic. I loved it.

But why the cube? “Just a point of differentiation,” says Brickley. “We want to be careful not to step on the toes of other American producers, and I can think of another spirit-immersed long-aged blue cheese that’s rather famous.” If you’re unsure which cheese she’s referring to, click here.

Look for Jasper Hill Farm Withersbrook at these locations. You can also purchase it online from Jasper Hill Farms. Open a dessert wine or a Belgian quadruple. A fruity sour ale like Duchesse de Bourgogne would also be fun to try with it.