Review: Belvedere Dirty Brew Coffee Flavored Vodka

Belvedere, what with its three-figure bottles like Belvedere 10 and single estate rye vodkas, has long cultivated a very upscale reputation. What then to make of its new coffee-flavored vodka called, ahem, Dirty Brew? Color me disconnected from the branding guidelines.

As for Dirty Brew, it’s a 30% abv offering that starts with Belvedere’s organic rye vodka and infuses into it roasted organic Robusta coffee beans. Any additional ingredients are not disclosed, but there’s certainly some sweetening agent in the mix.

It’s positioned by the brand oddly not as an espresso martini ingredient but rather for sipping straight or as part of a boozy affogato.

Belvedere Dirty Brew Coffee Flavored Vodka Review

Nutty and savory on the nose, there’s a lot more going on here than a traditional coffee character — and that’s far from a bad thing in a world dominated by blown-out coffee and espresso liqueurs. Here, the coffee is comparatively understated, leaving room for some brighter red fruit and a curious touch of smoke to develop in the glass.

The palate is bitter — something of a trend in coffee-flavored products of late — almost burnt with a bottom-of-the-coffeepot quality that, for coffee fans, will likely be love-it or hate-it. The vodka is sweet but it’s moderated, never overwhelming, which is both a good and a bad thing. While this restraint keeps the spirit from becoming saccharine or cloying, it allows a surprisingly muddy, vegetal character to dominate the finish. Ah, maybe that’s where the name comes from!

60 proof.

B / $37 [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR]

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