Why We Age Green Coffee in Spirit Barrels

Most flavored coffees are treated after roasting. We take a different route.

For our barrel-aged releases, green coffee is placed inside a freshly emptied spirit barrel before it ever reaches the roaster. The unroasted beans rest inside the barrel, where they encounter the aromas held in the oak from the spirit that previously occupied it.

During aging, the barrel is rotated regularly to help expose the coffee evenly to the interior wood. Time, temperature, the condition of the barrel, and the spirit it previously held all influence the result. Bourbon barrels may contribute impressions of oak, vanilla, caramel, and warm spice. Rum barrels can lean toward molasses, dark fruit, and brown sugar.

The goal is not to cover up the character of the coffee. It is to find a coffee and barrel that work together.

Once the aging period is complete, the green coffee is removed from the barrel and roasted in small batches. Roasting transforms the beans and develops the final flavor profile. The finished cup carries the character of the coffee along with the aromatic influence of the barrel; it is not an alcoholic beverage.

No two barrels age coffee in exactly the same way. The wood, previous spirit, age of the barrel, storage conditions, and time spent aging can all change the outcome. That is why each Bootleggers barrel release is treated as its own batch instead of being forced into a permanent, identical profile.

When a release is ready, reservations open before the announced roast and shipping date. The countdown on our website shows exactly when that batch will be released.

Each barrel gets one chance to tell its story. We handle the rest.