Not to be outdone by competing entries in the mould of Pernot Ricard’s Jameson Cold Brew, Dublin-based distillery Roe & Co has just thrown its hat into the burgeoning world of Irish whiskey crossovers with the new Coffee Stout Cask Finish: an expression of grain spirits that brings together both brewery and distiller, under the auspices of the beverage industry titan, Diageo.
Consisting of blended whisky produced by Roe & Co, which has been aged subsequently in Guinness beer barrels, the Coffee Stout Cask is (for now) an Irish market exclusive – limited in number and released as part of the distillery’s wider, thematically driven ‘Cask & Keg’ series. Just one more reason to make tracks for the Emerald Isle then.
For the sake of clarity, Roe & Co’s latest hasn’t been aged in barrels used to brew the proverbial run-of-the-mill black stuff. Rather, it’s Guinness’ Coffee Stout that is the source of this particular expression’s character – said to lean hard on notes of cold drip, with fruit and allspice whispering away in the background.
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The Roe & Co Coffee Stout Cask Finish marks the third time the distillery has partnered with Guinness, having previously worked with its neighbour and corporate sibling on two limited releases built around an IPA and export-style stout respectively.
This time around, the goal, according to Guinness Head Brewer Peter Simpson, was “to deepen the blend between whiskey and stout.”
“This year’s Cask & Keg release is the result of the 11-month finishing of Roe & Co’s blend 106 in barrels previously [used to] mature coffee-infused stout,” said Simpson.
Priced at under $100, you can imagine it’ll be a passable sipper – though the medley of coffee, fruit and allspice flavours will, conceivably, work even more effectively when used as a baseline in cocktails. Espressotini, anyone?
