Sydney, Australia – There’s no doubt that magic happens when coffee meets whiskey – it takes only one sip of a Cold Brew Old Fashioned made with Mr Black Coffee Liquor to dispel any doubters. Intrigued by the power of this pairing, the Australian Roaster and Distiller behind Mr Black asked a simple question: what if their rich, decadent liquor made from 100 percent specialty arabica coffee was aged in whiskey barrels before bottling? A partnership with Vermont’s WhistlePig Rye Whiskey provided the answer in the form of Mr Black x WhistlePig Barrel Aged Coffee Liquor, an extremely limited edition label that launches stateside this July.
To bring the expression to life, WhistlePig shipped some of the 10 Year Straight Rye Whiskey barrels down under, where coffee-snob-turned-spirits-maker Tom Baker experimented to determine the ideal aging process. It was clear that WhistlePig was the right partner for this creation after Baker met the WhistlePig team at an industry event in 2019, where they instantly bonded over their respective craft spirits. Though literally a world apart, the brands share a playful and innovative ethos that would do this new spirit justice. There was also no doubt that the brands complemented each other in the flavor department.
“The rich spice of Whistlepig Rye pairs astonishingly well with Mr Black,” says Baker. “They’re like long lost brothers, raised in different countries but united once again.” They started with an award-winning base – Mr Black, the #1 super premium and #1 fastest growing coffee liqueur in the USA. Here, the expression was sure to be delicious, but the challenge was timing. The aging process needed to last long enough for the flavors of the barrel to seep into the liquor, but not so long that the spirit would lose its luster.
Since oxygen is the enemy of good coffee, the barrels were constantly topped off – a process more in line with winemaking than whiskey distilling. Luckily, Baker has a former winemaker on his team, and through careful experimentation they were able to determine that six months was the perfect amount of time.
The result is an extraordinary blend of bold tasting notes – rye, oak and coffee form an unparalleled balance of truly special flavors. Rich, dark, oily, you’ll find distinct coffee aromas enriched by oak, honey, vanilla, cloves, with a hint of smokiness. On the palate, expect generous cold brew coffee, complemented by the rich rye spice of WhistlePig. This leads into a long-lasting and mouth warming tannic finish. “This is one of the biggest spirits we’ve ever made,” says Baker. “It’s Mr Black turned up to 12 in terms of flavour and texture – it’s a spirit for a spirit’s drinker, intense and delicious.” Mr Black redefined the hard coffee and coffee liquor categories, and with the help of WhistlePig, is raising the bar for spirit collaborations.
Best enjoyed on the rocks, this label is an extremely limited edition, with a total run of only 2,400 bottles. At $59.99 a bottle, those able to secure a bottle will get to sip on something totally unique – a one of a kind flavor made from a cross-world collaboration. “WhistlePig is a brand with such a sense of place up there in Vermont. We’re a world away down under in Australia, but working our mitts off to make it in the USA, says Baker. “We loved the idea of bringing our home and our future together in a bottle.”
For more information on the Mr Black x WhistlePig Barrel Aged Coffee Liquor, visit mrblack.co and follow along on social at MrBlackSpirits.
About Mr Black Coffee Liquor
Made by hand at their distillery and coffee roastery north of Sydney, Australia, this liquor is a bittersweet blend of top-grade Arabica coffees and Australian wheat vodka. A first of its kind, Mr Black employs an entirely cold extraction, with no added flavors, fillers, or preservatives. Using a slow-drip method results in a more robust and sweet profile, creating a liqueur that is bold, complex, balanced, and unapologetically coffee. Mr Black is the #1 super-premium, and #1 fastest growing coffee liqueur in the USA.
About WhistlePig Rye Whiskey
Founded in 2007, WhistlePig has become the #1 distiller in the ultra-premium and luxury rye whiskey category in North America, featuring the bold and often untapped flavor of Rye. WhistlePig is leading a surge of innovation in the emerging field of North American whiskey. As the most decorated Rye whiskey – having received the coveted ‘Best in Show Whiskey’ title from the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, WhistlePig is widely viewed as the world’s finest Rye. With the opening of its distillery on its 500-acre Vermont farm in the fall of 2015, WhistlePig has also become one of the leading farm-to-bottle Rye whiskies in the world.
For More Information:
https://mrblack.co/us/