Review of Southern Comfort Black and 100 Spirit Whiskeys

 

If you’re like many people, you’ve heard the name Southern Comfort. If you ask those same people what it is, you’ll get a variety of answers, most of which are wrong. Southern Comfort isn’t whiskey. It isn’t flavored Vodka. It isn’t some random stuff mixed together. Legally, it meets the definition of Liqueur.

 

Per (TTB, 27 CFR §5.22(h)): “Class 8; cordials and liqueurs. Cordials and liqueurs are products obtained by mixing or redistilling distilled spirits with or over fruits, flowers, plants, or pure juices therefrom, or other natural flavoring materials, or with extracts derived from infusions, percolation, or maceration of such materials, and containing sugar, dextrose, or levulose, or a combination thereof, in an amount not less than 2-1/2 percent by weight of the finished product.”

 

For legalese, that’s fairly straightforward, right? If you want to get more specific, Southern Comfort (or SoCo) is a Whiskey Liqueur, although that’s not a legally defined term. It means that the distilled spirit mentioned in the definition is whiskey.

 

Our timeline begins in New Orleans in 1874, at McCauley’s Tavern, with Martin Wilkes Heron. He was a bartender, and he wanted something that would tame the harsh corn whiskeys coming out of Tennessee and Kentucky at the time. His idea was to blend those whiskeys with vanilla bean, lemon, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cherries, and orange peel. The concoction was soaked for a few days, and then he would add honey as a sweetener. He called it Cuffs & Buttons. Cuffs referred to the peel, while buttons represented the clove.

 

As Cuffs & Buttons gained in popularity, in 1889, Heron decided to patent the recipe after relocating to Memphis. He bottled Cuffs & Buttons with “None Genuine But Mine” on the label, and changed the name to Southern Comfort. He then settled in St. Louis.

 

In 1920, two major things happened that forever changed SoCo: Prohibition and Heron’s passing. Before he died, Heron gave the company (as in free) to his former employee, Grant Peoples.

 

Peoples, in turn, sold the rights to SoCo to Francis Fowler, who, for whatever reason, didn’t have the original recipe. Fowler worked tirelessly trying to recreate SoCo in his basement. Once he succeeded, he reintroduced the brand, and he enjoyed some success. That was until Janis Joplin came on the scene.

 

Wait… Janis Joplin? THE Janis Joplin? Yes! Joplin was so enamored with SoCo that she was rarely seen without a bottle on hand. It was with her on stage, and she drank from it between songs. She had a bottle with her in interviews. It was in her purse. It was on her nightstand. She was not paid to promote it.

 

Anyway, when the public found out about Joplin and SoCo, sales went through the roof. Fowler offered to give Joplin anything she wanted, and all she asked for was a lynx-fur coat and a matching hat. They were delivered immediately.

 

Fowler sold Southern Comfort to Brown-Forman in 1979. My friend, Chuck Cowdery, worked at a Louisville advertising agency and helped onboard SoCo to Brown-Forman.

 

“From the 1950s, Southern Comfort had a tradition of printing small recipe booklets which were given away free at retail and also bound into major magazines. We continued that practice, typically doing four unique books per year. They were about half drink recipes and half food recipes. I developed the themes, helped invent some of the drinks, and wrote all of the copy. All of the design, photography, and food styling was done in-house as well. My legacy is the theme ‘Comfort and Joy’ for Christmas promotions.” – Chuck Cowdery

 

Here’s where things got squirrely. Brown-Forman changed the recipe. It no longer had whiskey as its base component. That was swapped out for GNS (grain neutral spirits – think Vodka), then had minuscule amounts of whiskey added in for flavor (and to keep the label’s claims legit). Longtime fans did what longtime fans do when a company changes formulas: they ditched SoCo.

 

In 2016, Brown-Forman sold SoCo and Tuaca to Sazerac for $543.5 million. The first thing Sazerac did was ditch Brown-Forman’s recipe and restore whiskey as the liqueur’s base component.

 

SoCo is available in several versions: SoCo 42, SoCo Original, SoCo 100, and SoCo Black. The numbers refer to the liqueur’s proof. The Original is packaged at 70°, and Black is at 80°, with an additional smoky, spicy flavor. The labeling has changed as well; the lower-proof SoCo 42 is considered a Malt Beverage, and the others are now classified as Spirit Whiskeys with Natural Flavors. SoCo Original, Black, and 100 are sold at major liquor stores, bars, and restaurants, whereas the others are sold at beer, wine, and malt beverage stores.

 

One thing you should know is that I’ve never had SoCo neat and, frankly, I have no idea if I’ve ever had it as a cocktail component. I know I’ve never ordered an Alabama Slammer.

 

Today, we’re going to explore Black and 100. I picked up 50mL tasters of each at some random liquor store (I can’t even remember where) for $1.99 for the sole purpose of reviewing them. I purposefully chose these two expressions because they’re meant to appeal to whiskey drinkers. Let’s #DrinkCurious and see if that’s true.

 

Southern Comfort Black

 

• Whiskey Type: Spirit Whiskey with Natural Flavors
• Distiller: Sazerac
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: Undisclosed
• Cooperage: Undisclosed
• Alcohol Content: 40% ABV (80°)

Price per 750mL: $13.99

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to explore this Spirit Whiskey neat. It possessed a rusty orange look, and a medium rim released slow, syrupy droplets that followed thick, crazed tears.

 

Nose: I waited 15 minutes before exploring SoCo further. During that time, the air in my whiskey library was filled with smells of prunes and raisins. When I brought the glass beneath my nostrils, I detected prunes, black grapes, orange peel, bubble gum, and a slight medicinal quality. As I drew the vapor through my lips, I experienced more bubble gum.

 

Palate: My first sip revealed a thin mouthfeel, a shock of orange peel, and honey. I took another, and this time I discerned lime juice, honey, and bubble gum on the front of my palate. At mid-palate, notes of maraschino cherries, brown sugar, and orange peel. The back included mild oak spice, clove, and candied cinnamon.

 

Finish: Bubble gum and clove carried through the entire finish, while oak, candied cinnamon, orange peel, lime zest, and honey fought for attention. It was a longer duration than I thought, weighing in at 1:41.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: SoCo Black reminded me, in many ways, of a Bourbon Old Fashioned Sweet. It was a very easy sipper; I couldn’t feel anything resembling an alcohol bite; I just found it a little too sweet (I order my Old Fashioneds Press). I could picture myself trying this again. Maybe I’d even order a SoCo Black Old Fashioned Press? Anything is possible! Oh, yeah, I need to rate this. My Bottle rating seems perfectly fair.

 

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Southern Comfort 100

 

• Whiskey Type: Spirit Whiskey with Natural Flavors
• Distiller: Sazerac
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: Undisclosed
• Cooperage: Undisclosed
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Price per 750mL: $13.99

 

Appearance: A neat pour into my Glencairn glass revealed a golden-orange spirit. A thin rim jettisoned tightly packed, slower, thin tears.

 

Nose: After waiting about 15 minutes for SoCo 100 to breathe, my olfactory sense plucked bubble gum, honey, a touch of fennel, and orange peel. Inside my mouth, the vapor tasted of brown sugar.

 

Palate: My first sip unveiled a thick, creamy texture and a shock of vanilla and bubble gum. Subsequent sips produced flavors of candied orange peel, maraschino cherries, and honey on the front. Next, I encountered caramel, sassafras, and bubble gum. The back featured oak, lime zest, and ginger spice.

 

Finish: Ginger spice tangoed with sassafras, while bubble gum toyed with orange peel and honey. It was spicy, savory, and sweet, lasting 1:19.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: SoCo 100 drank more like a whiskey than a cocktail. I can easily understand why neat whiskey drinkers would find it appealing. While I can’t imagine ordering a SoCo 100 at my local watering hole, if someone were pouring it, I wouldn’t turn it down. For the money, there’s value here. My Bottle rating is warranted.   

 

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Final Thoughts: Both SoCo Black and 100 were surprisingly good. I kept switching back and forth until both glasses were empty, trying to figure out which one I preferred. The 100 was more whiskey-like and less sweet than SoCo Black. I believe that’s why I would rate it as the better of the two. Cheers! 

 

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.