Review: Sunday’s Finest Gold Fashioned Craft Cocktail (2023)

Remember The Gold Fashioned, unofficially the most expensive ready-to-drink bottled cocktail on the market? Well, it’s back, reformulated — slightly — by adding a touch of 15 year old bourbon to the blend, joining the existing complement of 8 year old bourbon, 5 year old rye, and saffron bitters. The orange oil atomizer included for spritzing across the top is perhaps just a bit bigger too — I ran out quickly last time around, but I have higher hopes that this one will make it to the end of the bottle.

You can read the backstory as part of our prior review. This time around, let’s jump into the tasting more quickly:

First up, the good news: My previous complaints about there being too much saffron in this drink have perhaps been addressed (or the whiskey is now overpowering the spice a bit). There’s less of an initial saffron punch here, which lets the solid whiskey character and that spritz of orange oil show more clearly up front. The palate still offers plenty of floral saffron, however — frankly I could do with no saffron, but maybe that’s just me. While the cocktail starts off with an ample focus on the whiskey, all wood, vanilla, and caramel sauce, as your ice melts and the cocktail warms, the saffron really kicks back into gear. Deeper notes of caramel apple, vanilla cookies, and spiced cider eventually give way to that clear paella note, pairing oddly (but not unpleasantly) with a mostly chocolate-driven character that builds on the finish.

All told, I think there’s a modest — or rather mild — improvement here, but it’s still a delightful blend and one of the best ready-to-drink bottles you can find. I still have no problem whatsoever keeping this front and center on my bartop.

84.4 proof.

A- / $150 / thegoldfashioned.com

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