Toffee | Milk chocolate | Hazelnut | Some earthiness | Hint of citrus

Coffee | Toasted almond | Oak | Simple syrup | Toast | Rye backbone

Prominent coffee | Dark chocolate | Baking spices | Lingering citrus

Broken Barrel Whiskey Company is located in Los Angeles, California. The company sources whiskeys from Owensboro Distilling Co. in Kentucky, and further ages, blends, and finishes with barrel staves that have been broken and inserted into the aging whiskeys, which is what inspired the company’s name. Their finishes span a wide range, and in addition to ongoing releases with more straightforward finishes, the company explores small-scale, unique collaboration releases. Broken Barrel X Black Hjerte is one of those unique collaborations. According to the company, “The blend features both Kentucky Straight Rye and Kentucky-distilled Light Whiskey, offering a truly exceptional tasting experience. The Oak Bill, or a combination of various barrel staves used during the finishing process, combines Barrel Aged Black Hjerte Coffee Liqueur staves (66%) and limited-edition Blood Orange Coffee Liqueur barrel staves (33%). Both are based on Laurel Canyon Spirits’ original recipe French pressed coffee liqueur.”

This release fuses whiskey and coffee really well, which is no easy feat. The underlying blend of rye and light whiskeys creates a decent rye backbone complemented by the light whiskey’s sweetness. Coffee flavors work their way in slowly at first, becoming most prominent in the finish. Approaching it as someone who enjoys coffee is a prerequisite for this whiskey, as the coffee flavors are robust but thankfully feel natural. It’s not an everyday flavor profile, but really hits the spot if you want to try a robust coffee-infused whiskey.