Two of our favorite things, together at last. A style of booze that didn鈥檛 even exist a few years ago is taking over bourbon bars across the country.
Like many craft spirits, there鈥檚 more than one recipe for hopped whiskey. Nashville鈥檚 throws pounds of Galaxy hops into the still to give its Galaxy malt whiskey a tropical-fruit flavor. In California, 鈥檚 R5 is distilled from 6,000 gallons of IPA. Even , the Scottish giant, is bottling a scotch aged in IPA casks.
The pairing makes sense鈥攚hiskey is a distilled version of many of the grains used in beer. But hops don鈥檛 traditionally figure into it. Adding them, says whiskey historian and writer Chuck Cowdery, is a 鈥減retty natural鈥 evolution for experimental craft distillers hunting the next splashy libation.聽
It tastes like a whole new elixir. Floral notes you never knew hops could convey mix with the classic smoky, oaky sweetness of aged bourbon. 鈥淭o us,鈥 says Corsair cofounder and distiller Darek Bell, 鈥渂eer is just whiskey that hasn鈥檛 reached its full potential.鈥