Corsair Mosaic Hopped Whiskey

Rating: 13/23 Nose: Significant hop presence alongside smooth, fresh chocolate, spearmint, a touch of direct menthol, various spices (prominent ginger, followed by less of clove, cinnamon, and allspice), a whisper of butterscotch, and a few other botanicals that blend with the spices. The aroma isn't deeply complex, feeling somewhat indistinct, and the hops create a flat, unappealing scent, yet it's quite intriguing and enjoyable despite its shortcomings. Palate: This offers a rather unbalanced and not very intricate taste. There's a strong hop bitterness that unfortunately falls flat, though it does carry some mintiness and a tingling spice that just manages to avoid being overwhelmingly numbing, evoking fresh holiday spices. The spice is good despite being briefly numbing before introducing graphite and mineral notes. Milk chocolate provides moderate richness, accompanied by a hint of butterscotch and a spice reminiscent of rye. The eventual sweetness is appealing. Delicate cereal notes are also detectable. The overall impression is a blend of invigorating and indulgent, with hops and minerals confronting the chocolate across a spectrum of spices. The secondary flavors are interesting and delicious, but the flat hops and minerals are difficult to overlook. Finish: The hops persist, as does some spiciness. The chocolate is surprisingly noticeable too. The chocolate integrates well into the finish, making it quite satisfying, but the minerals assert themselves here, utilizing the cloves, spearmint, and other fresh spices to the drink's detriment. The official tasting notes mention peach, tangerine, shortbread, and jam. I can vaguely detect the shortbread and a jam-like quality, but no specific fruit flavor truly stands out. If your palate is prepared for a hop-forward experience (meaning a somewhat fatigued palate), this is actually quite pleasant, akin to a chocolate-infused rye. It's never exceedingly complex, but it can be engaging and balanced. Ideally, it would have been less hoppy. Corsair's creations are consistently interesting to sample. This particular one is sometimes good, but mostly it's just an interesting experiment. It truly depends on your palate's condition. On a fresh palate, it comes across as immature and jarring, warranting a score as low as 10, with 13 being generous. After consuming a significant amount of high-proof bourbon and rye, along with a bit of absinthe, a score of 12 seems the minimum, and 15 isn't out of the question. Considering this, a 13 or 14 is appropriate. If I were to score it solely based on the post-bourbon palate state, I'd lean towards a 14. Combining both states brings it to a 13. I do want to award it that 14 for the delightful chocolate and other captivating flavors. I generally aim to evaluate drinks based on their best performance conditions. When trying a liqueur or a less refined spirit, perhaps assess it in cocktails. For an elegant Scotch, sample it with a fresh palate, not immediately after an Islay tasting. However, I believe there's a threshold beyond which it's unreasonable to accept a drink's limited applicability, and this falls on the wrong side of that line. Requiring the prior consumption of numerous high-proof bourbons isn't equivalent to not prohibiting their consumption. It necessitates intentionally compromising your palate and adhering to a specific drink order simply to appreciate this one. For this reason, I feel compelled to settle on a 13. Nevertheless, I am enjoying this bottle. It offers a truly unique experience, and I would strongly suggest trying it (and most Corsair products) at a bar. And if it's the conclusion of the evening and your palate is overwhelmed, this might be the perfect way to finish.

This is a new one, Corsair Mosaic is a single malt whisky that’s been vapor hopped through the distillation process. Thanks a friend for the sample to try as I’ve only had one whisky before this that had hops included and that was Charbay S Lot 211A which I liked a lot, so interested in how this experiment with hops went. Going into this one is reminiscent of a past experience from my childhood. So let’s start up my childhood/whisky story. I used to play little league baseball and my prime position was right field, then one day my coach decided I am ready for a change and has me play third base. Similar to this whisky, I question if I want to step out of my comfort zone and try something else and decide to go for it. So I get all set up, pitcher is ready, batter comes up and I take my position ready to play. The nose on this starts with lemon pine-sol, freshly cut grass, a pile of freshly pulled weeds from the garden, flint rocks, used cooking oils, light caramel, ginger, and moderate ethanol burn. So the nose is interesting and kind of a weird funky, definitely some new flavors I’ve not had in a whisky before. Much like playing third base for the first time, it’s different, and a feeling of nervousness and excitement all at the same time. So the game has begun and now the batter comes up, pitcher throws the first pitch of the game and I’m ready, then all of a sudden the batter crushed the ball and I have a line drive headed right for me. Time for a taste. The taste is medium mouthfeel starting with lemon pine-sol, grass clippings, piles of pulled weeds, flint rocks, bitter dark chocolate finishing with ginger and barrel spices with a strong burn. The taste is similar to what happened next in the story, the baseball came at me and bounced off my chest, similar to the hop flavor bomb of this whisky. It’s so much, I’m looking for water and ready to head back to right field to kick dandelions and watch planes fly over again. The finish is weedy, spicy with ginger beer that’s unbalanced and too much ginger, some bitter chocolate and long; those herbal notes stick around much like my chest pain after getting clobbered by the baseball and the bruising my tongue has endured from this whisky. It takes time to heal but lingers for minutes. One would think, I would learn from the first tasting, but I repeated this multiple times to make sure it wasn’t just a surprise shock. It turned out to not be a surprise shock and each time was another line drive of weedy hop-covered baseball rocketing at my chest, that I was incapable of catching, followed by knocking me off my feet again and again. I am now back to right field with a bottle of WR double oak, enjoying my Hershey syrup-covered banana split as I work through the emotional and physical toll Mosaic has done to me. Perhaps a visit to a psychiatrist called Dr. Jack Daniels to get some much-needed barrel proof medication is required.

Rating: 14/23 Finished the bottle. It has had a considerable amount of air. Nose: Vibrant, sharp hop notes that are almost lemony with a shortbread base. Very faint hints of grain and malt. Green banana, somewhat vegetal. A bit of a funky buckwheat note. It's not bad, but the hop aroma is excessive and the balance seems off. "Difficult" is the primary descriptor that comes to mind. Very faint savory meatiness. Actually, there's a little sulphur. How did I not notice that before? Palate: This is more harmonious than the nose. It's very intensely hoppy with bitter botanicals paired with bright lemon, graphite, and a touch of peppermint (perhaps I should verify the meaning of "paired"). Then there's a pleasant, soft layer of shortbread with something like cocoa powder sprinkled on it or emerging from the graphite. It's not entirely chocolate shortbread, but a good amount of that is present. I detect a hint of fruit. It's tart, yet also sweet and red, and subtle, like a thin spread of raspberry jam. I'm enjoying this palate reasonably well, but the complexity is limited and the balance is somewhat disrupted due to its numbing quality. It's as if distinct flavors were placed near each other but not fully integrated. It's rather like a brutalist palate, in fact. Finish: Numbing hops. Some bright herbal notes. A little of that jam. Possibly some lemon and shortbread towards the end. - Summary - I like this sufficiently. I can drink it slowly. I dislike how the hops numb my tongue, so it's only suitable in certain situations at best. Truly, the palate's harmony works well, but it's excessively numbing. This is significantly improved from my initial impression and is almost like a good mixed drink. When compared side-by-side, this is more engaging and refined than Dewar's 15 (rated 13). Comparisons are challenging with this one, but I believe this heavily aerated version is superior to the Dewars. Copperwork's New Oak Cask Finished Gin (rated 17) seems better than this. Strange comparisons indeed. So I'm considering a score of 15 to 16. I don't feel confident giving this a 16. The harmony truly functions here, but perhaps only because of the numbing effect, which is itself an issue. Additionally, that sulphuric aroma cannot be ignored. I'm leaning towards a 15. Actually, I'm dropping it back to a 14. I simply can't assign a high score given how numbing and intense the hops are.

The aroma is quite potent, not from alcohol but from its character. Numerous scents are making strong impressions. The taste is somewhat unified but immature. Its youth evokes notes similar to rye, tequila, and cane rum, yet it possesses a distinct identity. It most resembles aged gin. There's considerable spice from rainbow peppercorn, imparting floral fruitiness, and green peppercorn, bringing a bitter juniper quality. Abundant piney juniper is present, alongside a significant floral component. It's intensely herbal. It certainly doesn't present as very young. A mild earthiness, like clay, is detectable, along with a hint of mushrooms. The fruitiness is highly floral, suggesting a sweet apricot flavor mingled with a touch of bitter orange peel and a whisper of vanilla. There is a wealth of complex flavors, but refinement in balance is needed. It's a very intriguing experience, though not one I deeply relish. Quite drinkable, but lacking the exceptional character found in the Corsair Grainiac. The hops contribute an interesting and peculiar floral dimension, distinctly unlike an IPA, but possessing its own merit. I would be very eager to sample a more mature iteration that has softened and unified the flavors, whereas the Grainiac already exhibits perfect equilibrium. The herbal, hoppy conclusion with floral wisps is rather pleasant, though far from exemplary. The primary drawbacks are its resemblance to multiple spirits without fully embodying any, and its immature flavor profile. It tastes very green, not particularly grassy. The bitterness is quite sharp, almost tasting purely of juniper, to the point of tasting like pine. Thankfully, the apricot sweetness counterbalances this. It demonstrates superior balance and character compared to numerous gins, placing it quite high even among barrel-aged varieties. I might rate it higher if it were labeled as gin. There's much to appreciate here, but it lacks the polish expected of a whiskey.

whereas other dry-hopped varieties present hops and whiskey separately – like a good oil and vinegar dressing, if you will – this is a harmonious fusion. The hops and whiskey are interacting beautifully.

Bright floral hops upfront. Slightly thin, astringent as it continues. Interesting.