Mt Atkinson Coffee and Thomson Whisky come together with a coffee concoction
Worldwide, empty Whisky barrels are very very rare, even more so in New Zealand. That’s why we were stoked that Mat Thomson of Thomson whisky put some aside for us again this year.
It is always so fun going out to the whisky distillery and seeing the hands on process of creating a beautiful spirit.
Once we had the barrels back at the Mt Atkinson Coffee Roastery, we filled them with Colombian Supremo green coffee beans and rolled them around the coffee roastery for 8 months. The coffee draws out the beautiful manuka smoke whisky that is still soaked in the wood of the barrel. You can see this process because the wooden staves that form the barrel shrink as the liquid is drawn out.
Time does its thing, and the organic nature of the green coffee causes the whisky flavours to infuse deep into the bean.This year we tried a couple of different techniques, and since it is in the barrel for 8 months there is always a lot of nervous energy when we do a sample roast. How it will turn out? Will it taste ok? These questions can only be asked by roasting, brewing and then tasting. We are happy to announce that our 4th annual Whisky Barrel Aged Release results are incredible. I honestly believe it is our best yet.The coffee has drawn out the beautiful Manuka smoke whisky flavours, while still keeping the rich chocolate and coffee notes.A natural work of art that only time can create.We highly recommend enjoying this coffee as cold brew over ice. Since it has had a delicate process of infusing over time, you don’t want heat in the process of brewing.