Bourbon Whiskey Finished with
Bourbon Whiskey finished with Kona coffee beans.
42% ABV (84 proof)
Coffee and whiskey are two pretty universal beverages, found all around the globe. The folks at Farm and Spirit have created a blend of these two beverages in a way that is truly exquisite. This is easily a whiskey that can be used in place of coffee liqueurs for cocktails, my first thought on sipping it was to use it in a White Russian instead of coffee liqueur, but it is also remarkable to sip on neat or on the rocks.
In the glass, this whiskey has a slightly darker color than bourbons typically have-clearly a very dark brown or black note that comes from the coffee. In the glass this effect is less noticeable, but in the bottle it is very clearly darker than the color that comes from a barrel.
On the nose- immediately coffee notes jump out-but it clearly is not just a cheap bag of beans. If you are a coffee connoisseur, even an amateur one, you can smell the difference between a great roast and a cheap roast. This clearly is the former, with a strong, black freshly brewed coffee smell that is not overly bitter. The bourbon notes still come through with some caramel and vanilla.
Once you take a sip, the immediate flavor on the tip of the tongue is sweet vanilla, mixed with some of the corn and grain notes. The overall mouth feel is very creamy and full. Some dark chocolate, like dry baking chocolate, overtakes the mid palate and moves into the finish.
The finish is dry, black coffee with dark chocolate but that is not bitter, like there is the perfect amount of a sweet note added to balance out the coffee.
With Water, the nose really opens up, flooding the sense with a freshly opened bag of a medium roasted coffee beans.
The palate starts off with a sweet, vanilla and caramel note, but overall is less creamy feel. There is still plenty of the dark or baking chocolate, but balanced.
The finish with water has more of the bitter note of coffee, but still smooth and complimented by a sweet addition of the bourbon.
If you are a coffee fan and a whiskey fan, this is easily a must have. Would replace a coffee liqueur in your favorite cocktails with ease, but also is delicious to just sip on it’s own. This makes an excellent aperitif, unless you are specifically going for just the coffee flavor.
Rating: 92/100