Kahlúa Especial

I was hoping that Kahlúa Especial would be better than regular Kahlúa, more like the Kahlúa I remember from two or three decades ago, but it’s not obviously so. People say it’s less sweet, but it’s still plenty sweet. It says “made for cocktails” right on the label. I’m sure it’s great in a Black Russian or White Russian. I added some milk. It’s fine, but nothing really especial.

Rating: 9/23 I hear that this is just Kahlúa improved, a lot like the old style. It sounds like just what I need in my life, so let's find out! N: Disappointing start here since there isn't much going on. There's a little bit of cola and licorice, a bit reminiscent of Jagermeister, but not too strong. or complex. A hint of mushroom perhaps as well, but it's difficult to pick much out here. P: Less viscous than regular Kalúa, but a stronger, more biting alcohol presence. There's less sugar so it's more bitter. It doesn't taste particularly roasty or spicy though. There's some chocolate, but it comes with some slightly salty black licorice. It's disappointingly uncomplex. I do taste suggestions of the rum with caramel and bitterness, but they don't taste like very good rum or have any real complexity. With the weird rum, alcohol, and coffee flavors, this oddly picks up a little bit of a tequila vibe. F: Some cola lingers along with some coffee and chocolate. The heat takes some time to fade as well. I don't get that same confectioner's sugar chalkiness as I do with regular Kahlúa. It certainly isn't awful, but I sadly do think I prefer regular Kahlúa by a tick. With regular Kahlúa being an 11, this is more like a 9 to 10. I'll give it the 10, but I'm not a fan.

Rating: 8/23 N: I smell some coffee with some sour and faint roasted notes, but also a huge amount of confectioner's sugar. It's a surprisingly light nose, unfortunately, and it isn't very appealing. Still, it smells kind of syrupy and herbel, like root beer.. SBS, the regular kahlua actually has a more complex nose with extra earthy spiciness and some chocolate. This is oilier with more alcohol, but I might be getting a little bit more rum funk as well. The rum is really a bigger presence here, but I'm not sure that it's an improvement, over regular Kahlúa since it just increases the emphasis on the low-quality rum. Could be a good choice over ice cream though. P: Smooth, sweet, rich, roasty, then confectioner's sugar. It's syrupy and there's a bit of cinnamon and pepper as well as weird anise. There are faint suggestions of chocolate, but they're more like chocolate syrup. There really isn't much going on here though and the confectioner's sugar is quite powerful. I was hoping that there would be a stylistic difference that would make this closer to the old style of Kahlua, but tragically this tastes much more like modern Kahlua, but I guess with a bit more alcohol. Regular Kahlua is sweeter and more syrupy with less apparent alcohol, but it has more chocolate and fun spices to it, making it a bit tastier and helping to cover up the confectioner's sugar (well, at least until the finish). This is clearly emphasizing the rum more. It's less sweet with more wood and smoke, but also a lot more alcohol flavor. Sadly, the rum used here isn't very good. It would have been awesome to have a rum with personality in this like Plantation Xaymaca or just a solid choice like Appleton Estate. Unfortunately, this still isn't sippable, unlike the old style of Kahlua. Some sulfur does make its way in here. It's a bit less balanced and spicy and fun than regular Kahlúa. It's also kind of herbal, like Jagermeister, but with the bad, cola elements. At least regular Kahlúa is its own thing, but this just keeps reminding me of bad, syrupy rum. Maybe there's some tobacco in here too. F: Confectioner's sugar and chocolate with something a bit roasty, possibly with some of the tobacco. Rum, black licorice, and some cola. Not much happening here, sadly. It's a tough call between this and regular Kahlua which I would get. The price difference is trivial, but this is less complex so it isn't an obvious win with the higher ABV. In fact, usually I'm using Kahlua in a tiramisu to take to work, so more alcohol is actually worse. At least regular Kahlúa is its own, fun, sweet thing. The confectioner's sugar from the regular one is what gives me pause, but this really reminds me of low-quality syrupy rum mixed with Jagermeister and perhaps a bit of coffee. I think this deserves a 7 to 8. I'll give it an 8 right now. It's better than the generic stuff, but maybe I should still stick with the regular Kahlúa. What a disappointment