Clancy's Krinkle Cut Kentucky Smoked Small Batch Bourbon Kettle Chip Review & Tasting Notes

 

No. You're not at the wrong place. No. I'm not looking to become a food critic. But, when something hits the market and ties itself to the Wonderful World of Whiskey, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will pique my curiosity. As such, today, I'll #EatCurious rather than #DrinkCurious.

I've been a big fan of ALDI for about four or five years. If you're unfamiliar with ALDI, it is a growing chain of compact grocery stores. The prices are amazingly affordable, the quality of food is shockingly good, and, if you're gluten-free like me, it has some of the best selection you'll come across anywhere, including (and especially) bread and bagels. They also have their own private label potato chips under the brand Clancy's. 

I buy Clancy's chips all the time. Earlier this month (June 2021), ALDI announced the availability of Krinkle Cut Kentucky Smoked Small Batch Bourbon Kettle Chips (that's a mouthful all by itself!). As soon as I saw it on the shelf, I knew I had to have it. I mean, I was going to buy chips anyway, right?

An eight-ounce bag, which is the only size offered, runs $1.89.  As I said, ALDI's prices are very good. Each bag contains eight servings, with each serving rated at 150 calories, 260mg of sodium, 1.5g of saturated fat, and no trans fats. As I checked out the ingredients that might constitute Bourbon-like flavors, I found corn oil, caramel, molasses powder, brown sugar, and smoke flavor.

Should you run out to ALDI and grab a bag (or a case) in the event this is a limited-edition run? Check out my tasting notes for the answer.

Appearance:  In my Boulder paper bowl (incidentally, another ALDI private label), these chips had a definitive crinkle-cut pattern. They were a reddish-brown that could be close to what you'd see in a glass of Bourbon or Rye. It looked like a good-quality chip, something that is typical of Clancy's.

Nose:  Garlic and liquid smoke were the first aromas picked out. There was a slightly sweet quality, likely from the brown sugar and molasses powder, potato (like most other chips), and something sour. This was my second round of tasting it and I came across that sour smell the first time, too. 

Palate:  The mouthfeel was a very good crunch. While it didn't look to be a kettle chip, it had the sensation of one. The flavor of liquid smoke dominated, then brown sugar followed by salt. I could not identify what the flavor was, but that sour note on the nose carried over to the palate. This was something I tasted in both rounds as well.

Finish:  Medium in length, liquid smoke and salt continued. There was also sweet paprika.

Bottle (Bag in this case), Bar, or Bust:  I realize this isn't whiskey and isn't Bourbon. But there was nothing Bourbon-like about this chip, "small batch" or otherwise. If I was involved in a barrel pick and these flavors in combination came up, I'd question the sanity of the distiller who chose it as a sample.  If this was small-batch Bourbon (or any other kind of whiskey for that matter), I'd be annoyed that I wasted money on it. This is a Bust even as a potato chip and I'm happy I only purchased one bag instead of being a tater and clearing the shelf.

My Simple, Easy to Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.