Whiskey Reviews: Resurgent Sarsaparilla, Coffee Botanical Whiskeys landed on my desk at 40% ABV, carrying a $34.99 price tag. Here is what I found.
Nose
The first whiff is straight root beer barrel hard candies. Once my nose adjusted, I found alcohol, dark sugars, licorice, and cherries. It smells like Barqs root beer. is not present in the taste. The root beer flavor disappears and is replaced by some mild cherry, wheat, and some smoke. The finish is dried tobacco rolled into the root beer flavors. The finish is very quick and leaves a sour note in the throat, almost like the end of a cigar. Score: 2/5 Tasting Notes: Resurgent Botanical Coffee Whisky Coffee and Chicory Root Vital Stats: 80 proof, 40% ABV. $34.99 Appearance: Coffee Nose: No surprises here, the nose is coffee. It has a tannic quality which feels more pre-made vs. fresh pressed coffee, however. The chicory root comes to play with a lot of earthy notes to round out the nose. Nothing too exciting about this. The sweetness of the nose is not present in the taste. The root beer flavor disappears and is replaced by some mild cherry, wheat, and some smoke. The finish is dried tobacco rolled into the root beer flavors. The finish is very quick and leaves a sour note in the throat, almost like the end of a cigar. Score: 2/5 Tasting Notes: Resurgent Botanical Coffee Whisky Coffee and Chicory Root Vital Stats: 80 proof, 40% ABV. $34.99 Appearance: Coffee Nose: No surprises here, the nose is coffee. It has a tannic quality which feels more pre-made vs. fresh pressed coffee, however. The chicory root comes to play with a lot of earthy notes to round out the nose. Nothing too exciting about this. Palate: Chicory shines through, very bitter and earthy. We get a small hit of coffee bean with a hint of sweetness. The mouthfeel is very watery, but the age of the underlying whiskey shows up in a big way. Almost like a hot coffee cocktail, there is a burn and uneven finish. The finish is short and mellow, some tannic bitterness on the back end of the mouth. Score: 1.5/5 Final Thoughts To be perfectly frank, these needed a better base whiskey. A two-year-old wheat is just too young, and the botanicals dont mesh easily into the existing whiskey profile. This left the underlying product unbalanced. I made two of the recommended cocktails, a sarsaparilla old fashioned and an espresso martini. They werent my style of cocktail, but I could see these being a huge hit in certain bars.
Palate
Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by Whiskeyful or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.
The Bottom Line
Whiskey Reviews: Resurgent Sarsaparilla, Coffee Botanical Whiskeys did not quite work for me. At $34.99, I would steer you toward other bottles that offer more for your money in this category.
