Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur

Rating: 17/23 Happy international coffee day! N: Roasted darkly with hints of dark chocolate and mild soy sauce. It's not super complex, but it isn't nice. P: Way sweeter than the nose suggested. I thought this might just be bitter based on the nose. Actually, it's sweet! It doesn't have a confectioner's sugar feel to it at all, but it is full and viscous. There's a definite roasty flavor, with hints of medium roast astringency coming in. I get some chocolate sweetness and also faint hints of soy sauce. This is quite tasty. I see why people like this more than Kahlua. The soy sauce here may be a little heavy, but it's funky and I dig it. Hints of vanilla. F: Vanilla, soy sauce, dark chocolate, some sweetness. The balance somehow deteriorates here a bit, but this is still a very nice dram that is easy to sip. - Conclusion- I'm a fan of this. I'm not entirely sure what to do with it, but it's the best coffee liqueur I've tried. This isn't as sweet and viscous as Kahlua, but the Kahlua tastes too sweet and the sugar really shows in the mouthfeel. In comparison, the soy sauce is quite evident here, which is maybe not ideal, but I'm enjoying this more than even that ancient bottle of Kahlua I unearthed at my parents' house. After shaking this, it's a hair creamier with a tad more soy sauce chocolate, and bite. I'm not sure if I like it better this way. Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. I dig. Soy sauce - not so much. I like soy sauce sometimes, but not in my coffee. Is this a 19? No. It's more likely a 17 or 18. Mixing 1:1 with bourbon, the result is oddly savory. I love the chocolate and coffee, but the savoriness is not good. A few more cocktails of this with bourbons and bitters later, I'm not impressed. That savory soy sauce note is just out of place. I'd have more confidence using Kahlua. As much as this has great flavors going for it, it has one odd flavor that I just can't fully endorse. I'm going with a 17.

Appearance: In the bottle this liqueur is extremely dark brown, almost inky black. When poured as a small taste in a sherry glass it is dark mahogany when held against a white background, and when held up to a strong light it is translucent hazy burnt sienna. Aroma: Most reviews I've seen have said that the smell of this liqueur is like a cup of strong black coffee. That's absolutely correct but I don't think it goes far enough. To me it is precisely like a handful of freshly ground espresso-roast arabica coffee beans, thick with aromatic oils and so fragrant that it fills the room with the aroma. There is no alcohol smell at all. Taste and Texture: Silken and velvety on the palate, it has excellent body but is not thick. It arrives soft and sweet but is not overly sugared. It develops precisely like a slightly sweetened caffè corretto, with the spike being vodka plus a couple of drops each of vanilla essence and sirop de cacao. The alcohol content is warming and comforting, and not at all hot or intrusive. This is not nearly as cloying as most coffee liqueurs, but in case you happen to have a sweet tooth and the thought of a bittersweet liqueur makes you have second thoughts, do not be concerned. This is still a sweet liqueur, just not as sickly sweet as most. It is, in fact, precisely like a cup of perfectly brewed, strong, Australian-style (i.e. European-style) black coffee with just enough sugar added to balance the bitterness. I could happily take a dram of this after dinner instead of my usual black coffee. There is just one final thing to mention. This is even superior to my home-made coffee liqueur, and that's something I never thought I would say. If there is a better coffee liqueur I have yet to taste it and I agree completely with the official Distiller score. "Outstanding" : 93/100 (5 stars)

12 years ago somewhere in a rat hole eastern Peruvian town I celebrated New Years eve. I smoked my last packet of cigarettes and from that point cigarettes and coffee were gone from my life. Coffee wasn't to hard. Cigarettes the first year I craved one when I drank, year two craved one when I drank and someone else was smoking near me. After that no problems. I had a sip of coffee once in a blue moon from my wifes and randomly tried stuff such as cold brew coffee from Japanese vending machines (you name it if they could fit it in there they sold it) but by in large caffeinated drinks gone from my life. Anyhow I bought Dancing Sands chocolate gin and my wife was keen to make a cocktail (which I generally avoid like the plague as way to sweet) so I found a recipe using their stuff: 45mls Chocolate Gin 30mls expresso shot (expertly done by my wife) 30mls coffee liquor Few pieces of 90% dark lindt thrown in Now I went hunting for a good Coffee Liquor, Tia Maria nope, others nope nope and then the liquor store guy recommended this. He pulled out one from under the counter, I got stuck in and thought very good quality, still a bit sweet for my taste but great drop non the less. Afterwards I checked distiller and there was a glowing review from @PBMichiganWolverine..validation! Wind forward to tonight I made the cocktail and long story bought to an end, not sure if I'll sleep tonight but.damn nice! These guys do a single bean variety which I will hunt down sometime.

I don’t think I even ever have had a liqueur before...in fact, when I was given this as a gift by some guests this weekend, I had no idea what to do with it. I can’t have it like my regular morning coffee, that 25% ABV will make for a painful ( or happy, depends on the day) start to a morning. I can’t have it as my 2pm pick me up coffee...again, that 25% ABV will lull me to sleep instead of picking me up. But, what I discovered is that this makes an amazing post dinner drink, with just a bit of whipped cream or even just a bit of milk. It also makes for an amazing ice cream dessert: a scoop of French vanilla with this at the base. It’s surprisingly not sweet, which I always associated liqueurs with ( and which is why I stayed away from it). It’s bitter-sweet. Like the best fresh brewed coffee you can have, from just roasted beans. The ABV helps elevate the coffee aroma and taste to a whole new playing field. For coffee lovers, this is an absolute must try. And at $25-30, it won’t break the bank.

Good stuff! Its not too sweet but sweet enough for my drinks. Personally, I prefer less sugar in my cocktails than most recipes call for, and I add more to taste. Mr. Black has the dark, roasted chocolatey flavors of a 12-hour cold brew, my favorite brew method. You can taste the vodka too, but it blends well with the coffee flavors. Despite the 25% ABV, I can still feel the caffeine in this. Its becoming one of my favorite ingredients. So far, I've tried it on the rocks, White Russian, Black Russian, and a Revolver. The revolver is my preferred way to drink this, especially with a rye or high-rye bourbon. Its also great in milk and in milkshakes too. Honestly, I can't get enough of this stuff.

An intense, Coffee Liqueur by Tom Baker & Philip Moore for Distillery Botanica in Erina, Central Coast, Australia handmade with a blend of top-quality Arabica coffee & Australian wheat Vodka. It has an aromatic birth with notes of freshly roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate & espresso; while a bold & thin life adds notes of espresso, caramel, cacao & dark chocolate; that led to a long finish with notes of coffee, biscuit, vanilla & citrus. January 2021