Mexico isn’t the first region I consider when pondering coffee, but it turns out they actually produce some interesting stuff. Perhaps it makes sense therefore that the folk over at Patron would have a go at making their own coffee liqueur. A blend of ‘coffee essence’ and Patron silver, it weighs in at a relatively hefty 35% abv and claims to be an altogether drier option than many traditional coffee liqueurs.
Nose: Sweetened alcohol-laced coffee. Rather nutty with a touch of summer fruits. The tequila is sufficiently subtle so as to be almost undetectable.
Neat: Sweetness hits pretty hard upfront such that you have to question the claim that this is a drier option than most coffee liqueurs. Fortunately the sweetness is relatively fleeting and a rounded bitter coffee flavour builds in intensity through the mid-palate to balance, but never quite eliminate it. A touch cloying on the finish when tasted neat, but a few ice cubes soon sorts that out. As with the nose, the tequila is definitely not the prominent feature here, but the agave flavours do make an appearance on the finish to show that they have been helping to create a more complex flavour profile than would have been the case with neutral spirit.
Distiller: Patron | ABV: 35% | Price: €7
