| Whiskey | Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned |
| Distillery | Southern Tier Distilling Company |
| Region | Lakewood, New York |
| Type | Bourbon Base |
| Mash Bill | Undisclosed – High Corn Mash Bill |
| Proof / ABV | 58 Proof / 29% ABV |
| Aging | No Age Statement |
| Filtration | Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $25 |
| Release Year | 2025 |
Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned Tasting Notes
Appearance: Extremely Dark Molasses Brown (Nearly Black)
Nose: Rich cherry, chocolate covered cherry, vanilla, medicinal, cherry pie, cinnamon spice
Palate: Cherry candy, dark chocolate, vanilla sweetness
Finish: Extremely smooth and tastes like there is no alcohol in it
Southern Tier Distilling and Brewery
I’ve always been a fan of Southern Tier Brewery and their beer.
Southern Tier 2XIPA is a great go-to beer and I have had quite a few of Southern Tier’s flavored beers like Pumpking, The Warlock, and my favorite – Southern Tier White Chocolate Raspberry dessert stout.
So when I heard that they made whiskeys, I was certainly curious.
These bottles came from my cousin who visited the distillery and has tasted quite a few Southern Tier beers with me at our local Pittsburgh beer festivals, so he decided to buy them and taste them during our weekly D&D session.
To our surprise, they were quite delicious and really do taste like what they advertise.
The Southern Tier distillery is relatively new.
It officially opened in 2016 in Lakewood, New York just down the road from the original Southern Tier Brewing Company which was founded in 2002.
They made a traditional whiskey which I have not tasted yet, but I’ll be on the look out for that one if I can find it.
To be honest, I’m kind of shocked they even had a distillery that I didn’t know about.
But with that, let’s get into the review.
Is Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned an Approachable Whiskey?
So while this isn’t technically considered a whiskey, it does use a high-corn bourbon whiskey base to create the Old Fashioned recipe.
The bottle has instructions to pour the old fashioned cocktail into a mixer, shake with ice, and strain into a rocks glass.
I would definitely recommend following those instructions because without a little dilution from the ice, it would be a bit too rich to sip on its own.
To be honest, I wasn’t fully expecting to enjoy this a ton because I’m not really a fan of pre-made old fashioned cocktails (I’d rather make my own with my own whiskey) but this is one of the better ones that I have found.
I could easily sip on this old fashioned and be quite happy with it.
It’s very well balanced with a whole ton of cherry influence, a light chocolate influence, and you cannot even tell that there is alcohol in it.
This would be a great bottle to take to a party where you’re looking to serve quick and easy cocktails that everyone will enjoy.
Is Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned Complex?
I usually have this question in my whiskey review template because I enjoy diving into the complexity and depth of flavor in whiskeys.
In this particular review, I wouldn’t say there is a ton of complexity in flavor for this old fashioned mix, but it certainly does deliver on what it advertises.
I’m actually impressed with how smooth of an old fashioned this makes as long as you shake and strain it over ice.
So while there isn’t a ton of complexity in flavor, it just delivers exactly what it advertises – a tasty cherry chocolate old fashioned for someone who wants a quick and easy cocktail mix instead of making a fresh cocktail with natural ingredients.
What are Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned’s strongest attribute is the ease and simplicity of creating a tasty cocktail with zero effort.
Literally just pour it into a shaker with ice then strain it into a rocks glass and you have a pretty decent old fashioned with zero work.
Is Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned a go-to cocktail?
While I’m a big fan of old fashioned cocktails, I personally would always create mine from scratch.
But if I’m heading to a party and need a quick and easy way to make drinks, this is a great option.
My biggest use for this would be for situations where I’m going to a football tailgate party, camping trips, or a party where people aren’t going to be expecting fancy whiskey and taking 5 minutes to make a perfect cocktail.
Is Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned priced accurately to its quality?
At the $25 price point, Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned delivers on its price tag. You can make 6-8 hefty-sized old fashioned cocktails from a single bottle and it’s a perfect option for on the go cocktails.
Conclusion for Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned
Overall, Southern Tier Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned mix is a great option for cocktails on the go.
When it comes to flavor, it is cherry, cherry, and more cherry with a small hint of chocolate.
Think chocolate covered cherries in a glass.
Like the nice chocolate covered cherries with the nice syrupy cherry liquid inside.
The only thing that doesn’t blow me away about this bottle is that the nose on it gives me a bit of a medicinal cherry flavor when smelled before shaking over ice.
Once you shake it over ice, it mellows out and that element disappears a bit and it becomes pretty well-balanced.
Bottom line, I’ll still be making my old fashioned cocktails the old fashioned way, but I’m quite satisfied with this bottle and it’s a perfect option for a party.
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