Cocoa Maestro

Cocoa Maestro is a divine dream — a heavenly sweet barleywine aged in bourbon barrels and then brought down to Earth with the natural bitterness of locally roasted cocoa nibs. Finding the harmonies of charred bourbon oak, roasty chocolate, rich malt character with gooey caramel aromas, and hints of spice, this blend is a deep and seductive sipper.

In a return to what was our very first “club only” blend, we made a small batch of Cocoa Maestro this season just for our Blender’s Circle club members to highlight a unique and small-batch variation on our base barleywine.

Walking through stacks of bourbon barrels patiently guarding barleywine, we tasted for certain barrels that would pair well with an addition of cocoa. We looked for the sweetest barrels that would benefit from some cocoa bittering and for barrels with just a touch more roasty character that would help harmonize the cocoa with the rest of the blend.Tough job, we know! 

We would pair Cocoa Maestro with a blue stilton cheese, whose bold and creamy flavors will stand up to cocoa maestro and build up a luscious combination of flavors on your palate, or with a cocoa braised lamb shank, where the complementary flavors tie the dish to the drink and create a well-crafted meal.

Cheers!