Review: Estate 98 Licor de Cafe Especial Ancestral Espresso Liqueur

Can the world ever have too many coffee-flavored liqueurs? It certainly seems like the answer is no, with artisanal offerings continuing to pop up on the market at a regular clip. The latest to hit our tasting room is Estate 98, an espresso spirit made in El Salvador using what the brand describes as a cutting-edge extraction technology.

The very dry liqueur — with less than 1 gram of sugar per pour — is made from coffee grown on the slopes of Santa Ana Volcano and contains more caffiene than any other coffee liqueur on the market, per the producer. (This is absolutely no joke: After one glass of the stuff my heart is absolutely racing!) Be warned.

Estate 98 Licor de Cafe Especial Ancestral Espresso Liqueur Review

You certainly won’t miss the espresso in this one. Incredibly powerful notes of unsweetened coffee grounds dominate the nose, gently grassy and touched with anise. Dark chocolate is at hand, along with a moderately scorched character — just like you get when making espresso the old-fashioned way at home.

The palate is immediately noteworthy for its nearly complete lack of sweetness. If you had told me there was no sugar at all in this liqueur, I would not have raised an eyebrow. It’s there if you go searching for it, but the dominance of the coffee notes is otherwise staggering. Nutty and pungent, the spirit eventually finds room for some secondary elements of anise and, again, (very) dark chocolate, the latter of which clings fully to the palate just about forever.

Billed as an easier (and fully caffeinated) alternative to fresh espresso for your espresso martini makings, there’s no denying it will fit the bill. Be aware you’ll need to adjust the sweetener on the finished cocktail, however, lest you end up with mouth-puckered guests overwhelmed by bitterness. On that front, it also makes for an interesting alternative to an amaro — provided you aren’t planning on getting any shuteye anytime soon.

50 proof.

B+ / $45

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