Perk Up: 5 Coffee Barrel Aged Spirits
Rum, whiskey and tequila distillers are experimenting with coffee barrels to enhance their respective spirits
If you enjoy an espresso martini or an Irish coffee, then you know the allure of boozy coffee. The appeal of that combination has led to the practice of aging alcohol in barrels that once held coffee beans. Finishing a spirit in a coffee barrel imparts nuanced and rich flavors to spirits, often enhancing bitter chocolate notes. This practice differs from mixing coffee or coffee flavoring into the bottle or a glass.
Coffee and Spirits
Getting coffee and spirits together can be done in many different ways. Colin Spoelman, co-founder and distiller with Kings County Distillery in New York, makes Coffee Whiskey, which is a blend of un-aged and barrel-aged whiskeys diluted down from barrel strength to bottle proof with cold brew and a hint of sugar.
“We had a partnership going with Stumptown, mostly just between our employees—we would trade coffee for whiskey from time to time. They barrel-aged some cold brew in one of our 5-gallon barrels and it was absolutely stunning,” Spoelman said. “The best cold brew anyone on this earth has ever had. But because of the residual alcohol in the barrel, it was both high caffeine and high proof (I'd guess 8 or 9% ABV). Completely impractical to manufacture but fun for all our staff. It was a great project.”
While aging coffee beans in used whiskey barrels to enrich the flavor of the beans is quite common, rum, whiskey and tequila distillers are also experimenting with coffee barrels to enhance their respective spirits.
“We began with a simple, but bold, dream to bring great tequila and great coffee together. The idea was not only to create something very new and different in the tequila category but also to do it in a way that tastes great naturally without the use of any additives,” shares Mike Winters, founder and CEO of Quintaliza Tequila.
Here are 5 bottles of coffee aged spirits worth a try.
Santa Teresa 1796 Arabica Coffee Cask Finish
Santa Teresa 1796 is the oldest rum producer in Venezuela. Now they are combining the award-winning triple-aged Venezuelan Solera rum with a unique Arabica Coffee Cask Finish. Santa Teresa has struck on something creating a rich coffee-tinged rum. The trick is the additional three months that the rum finishes in American white oak casks that previously held an aged rum-based cold brew coffee. That rum-based coffee was made with 100 percent premium Arabica beans. After that, the rum is aged a third time in Solera vats made of French Limousin oak. The final product is a sweet coffee cocoa rum with hints of vanilla and oak. It is an ideal after-dinner drink.
46% ABV and is $59.99
VHW Scholar's Craft Coffee Cask American Single Malt Whiskey
The whiskey base for this is a single malt whiskey made using 100 percent malted barley. It is then aged in ex-bourbon casks before finishing in coffee barrels that contain a small batch of ethically sourced coffee. The result is a nice meeting of coffee notes and oaky vanilla that make an almost mocha-like American single malt. Based in Lovingston, VA, Virgina Distilling Co. is a women-owned company. The Scholar’s Craft name is because the whiskey honors the newly endowed ”Angela H. Moore - Women In Distilling Scholarship." All sales of the bottle go towards a $100,000 endowment at Appalachian State University.
46% ABV and is $59.99
Quintaliza Reposado Coffee Aged tequila bottle photo credit The J Projects, Jaci Peña
If your enjoy tequila with your coffee look no further than the Quintaliza Reposado Organic Tequila, a mix of tequila aged with coffee, and bourbon notes. For this bottle, Quintaliza takes its organic reposado tequila and then rests it in ex-bourbon barrels and coffee barrels that are seasoned with organic coffee from Chiapas, Mexico. The final product is a certified organic tequila produced by Iliana Partida, a fourth-generation master distiller. The unique reposado tequila is imparted with subtle coffee notes and a bitter chocolate taste. Made in Jalisco Mexico.
40% ABV and is $79
Ironclad Vessel Craft Coffee Cask Bourbon Whiskey
Out of Newport News, Virginia, Ironclad has created a high-octane bourbon whiskey finished in coffee barrels. The coffee barrels are sourced from Vessel Craft Coffee in Norfolk, Virginia. Uncut and cask strength, this bottle clocks in at 122 proof making it one of the stronger coffee cask-finished bourbons on the market. The whiskey is finished for three months in the coffee barrels, which imparts a deep coffee flavor combined with rich dark chocolaty notes. The bottle comes with a yellow wax seal on the neck with an anchor imprint. Vessel Craft Coffee in turn also offers a Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee too, to bring the collaboration full circle.
61% ABV and is $49.99
Mosswood Espresso Barrel-Aged Whiskey
Since 2013, Mosswood, based in Berkeley, California, has focused on creating unique barrel-aged spirits. That continues with a local partnership with Bicycle Coffee Co. Mosswood finishes its whiskey in Bicycle Coffee barrels, seasoned with Bicycle Coffee's Espresso Roast cold brew. This creates a unique whiskey with milk chocolate coffee notes and hints of nuts and even fruity flavors. This is the second time Mosswood has released a coffee collaboration and the Bicycle Coffee's Espresso Roast is a one-of-a-kind pairing with Mosswood’s whiskey. Sip it straight or make a coffee-inspired Manhattan with it.
46% ABV and is $58.99