Review: Ararat Coffee Brandy

Armenia‘s Ararat brandy is out with an odd new expression, which is flavored with coffee. There’s not a lot of information about what’s in the bottle here — either the age of the brandy used or any information about the coffee — but we won’t let that stop us. Let’s dive in.

Ararat Coffee Brandy Review

The nose really does evoke a deft blend of coffee and fruity brandy, with the combination able to pass for a fruitier coffee liqueur. It’s certainly usable as such, especially if you dig orange overtones, the aromatics here coming across a bit like Grand Marnier.

On the palate, coffee is more restrained than I had hoped for, light but also rather bitter. Those brandy-driven raisiny notes creep into focus with a little time in glass, eventually fading to make room for chocolate overtones and a touch of lemon peel. The sweetness is gentle at first but sustained sipping reveals some overripe qualities in the mix, resulting in a conclusion stuffed with apples and raisins that can get a little cloying. I might opt to skip using this for an espresso martini but rather employ it as a supporting player in a carajillo.

60 proof.

B / $35 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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