Cornmuse
B&B by Bénédictine
Herbal/Spice Liqueurs — France
Reviewed
September 21, 2020 (edited December 28, 2020)
I spent part of the early 80's on the far side of the stick, so vodka-based cocktails and sweet liquers are a part and parcel of my history. It should not be a surprise that B&B and I are old friends. This is my first recorded taste, and my first critical reaction, to this sweet treat. This particular sample has been tasted neat in a glencairn from a bottle that's 1/3 full and likely dates from sometime in the earliest years of this century... or maybe even the late 90's
The nose is a melange of candied orange, spiices, sweet syrup, slight grape and a touch of ethanol. It's not particularly impressive, but it's not completely off-putting. I'm not so far gone that I don't still enjoy the occasional stop at Dairy Queen. My first reaction is that there's not a lot of depth to this flavor profile.
The taste is far more attractive than the nose. This is sweet, inoffensive, clearly "orangy" like a Grand Marnier, but soft and silky without the GM's hard edges. Very silky with a creamy mouthfeel, there is a honeyed, sweet, thick profile that tells you immediately that this is dessert and one is enough.
Way back then I used this is a sweetener, particularly in an Old Fashioned. I used to mix 1.5 oz of Maker's Mark, .5 oz b&b and top with a splash of soda and drank the bejesus out of that combination on my afternoons off. Sweet, easy to drink, & potent were winning hat tricks for me then. Sometimes I'd mix it up and use an aged (anejo) tequila as the engine of the drink.
I think I'll use the remainder of this bottle for a mixer in similar cocktails going forward. I am pretty sure I've purchased my last bottle, however. This is just too sweet for a developed palate, and far too lacking in subtlety.
Kind of like the alcohol version of pixie sticks.
I don't think I'll ever drink this neat again.
2.25/5
22.99
USD
per
Bottle
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Nice review. I have wanted to try this for a long time now. It may be a little longer before I do.