There are moments where I walk down the aisles of my local liquor store and I’m stopped dead in my tracks. Sometimes it’s an obscure bottle of whiskey I’ve been searching for and finally found. Other times it’s an interesting and different kind of spirit that I’ve never seen elsewhere. But in this case, after seeing this bottle of Eggo Waffle brand cream liqueur, I knew that come heck or high water I needed to take it home and experience whatever is within this container.
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History
Founded by Greg Eidam II and Ned Vickers in 2014, the Sugarlands Distilling Co. is dedicated to the art of un-aged flavored whiskey. The pair don’t claim to have a ton of prior distilling experience, and so attended some courses on the topic before setting up their own distillery.
Sugarlands Distilling Co is now probably most famous for its involvement in a Discovery Channel docudrama called Moonshiners, which claims to follow illegal distillers as they produce traditional moonshine in the back woods of the Appalachian mountains. The distillers featured in the show have partnered with the distillery to make their signature spirits for mass production. The distillery is also the official moonshine of NASCAR, the American racing circuit that started as a result of bootleggers building hot rod cars to evade the police during prohibition.
Product
At first glance, this might seem like a bonkers idea for a product. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
Sugarlands Distilling Co is a manufacturer of flavored spirits — specifically, super sugary and processed versions of spirits that they refer to as “moonshine”. More recently, they started producing a line of cream liqueurs of different flavors, and this seems like a flashy way to advertise this new line of “Sippin Cream” products.
A “cream liqueur” is really a simple concept: take some cream (yes, actual dairy, milk-based cream), add alcohol and sugar, and then whatever flavorings you want. It’s basically a liquid and alcoholic version of a milkshake. They come in various flavors, typically favoring chocolate and coffee, but Sugarlands seems to be trying to come up with sweeter dessert-like concoctions and this “Brunch in a Jar” version is in that same vein.
For this specific variation of their cream liqueur, Sugarlands infuses their base product with waffles and breakfast syrup.
Packaging
It’s a Mason jar. Which is both good and bad.
The good is that the Mason jar is the traditional format for delivery of moonshine. It’s a good, rustic container that speaks a bit to the history of the product.
The bad is that it’s a Mason jar, and therefore has some issues. There’s no really easy way to pour the liqueur out of the jar without making a mess — which is why large open lids typically aren’t the standard format for whiskey containers. It’s awkward to hold, awkward to pour, and as a result I feel like I’m wasting a bunch of this down the side of the jar.
Around that Mason jar they have shrink-wrapped a printed label with a picture of a waffle and the Eggo branding. It certainly stands out on a liquor store shelf!
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Neat (Room Temperature)
I get that this probably wasn’t intended to be enjoyed at room temperature, but that’s how they sell it at the store and we’re going to try it that way anyway.
Pouring this into a glass, it looks exactly like a glass of milk after you’ve had some Cinnamon Toast Crunch in it for a few minutes — creamy, viscous, and a little bit off-white.
It smells exactly like a plate of fresh, hot, and syrupy waffles — there’s undeniable aromas of breakfast syrup, fluffy waffles, butterscotch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. But as it sits in the glass, that sweetness becomes sickeningly sweet, with the breakfast syrup almost being too much and turning into something close to charred caramel.
While the aroma was spot on, the flavor (at least, taken at room temperature) is awful. There’s way too much vanilla and sugar, which is pretty much all you can taste, and the vanilla starts to bring in a significant bitterness from the jump. I’m getting a hint of the waffles, but only near the end.
It’s definitely a cream liqueur — viscous liquid, significant sweetness, and creamy texture — but the vanilla is way too much.
On Ice
This is 1000% better. At room temperature, this tastes like a disorganized mess — but with some ice, things come together and the flavors are much more harmonious. I’m not just getting overpowering vanilla, but instead I’m tasting the waffles, the syrup, the butterscotch — the whole enchilada (or the whole brunch, as the case may be).
I think the flavors are still a bit strong here, with that vanilla and sweetness being on the verge of being too much, but there’s a lot more to work with at this point. It’s a more complete and interesting flavor profile rather than being a one-note component, which seems to lend itself to some interesting cocktails.
Which brings us to…
Cocktail(s) and Other Nonsense
We brought this bottle to hang out with a couple friends, so naturally we all felt the need to experiment and try out different ways of enjoying this “sippin’ cream”.
The very first thought was to pour a bit of the stuff over a couple scoops of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, and it was absolutely delicious. That was exactly what this needed to get that perfect “waffles and whipped cream” flavor, and I get the feeling that if we had mixed it into a proper milkshake, things would have been even better. It also was the first time that the alcohol content was actually noticeable and provided a nice warmth to the concoction.
Wanting to explore further, we decided that next we would just treat it like a whiskey and turn it into an old fashioned — adding a couple splashes of angostura bitters to a milky glass of liqueur. And honestly… it was way better than I expected. There was more depth and complexity to the cocktail, with the bitter and herbal notes from the bitters providing some needed balance in the drink. One of our friends proclaimed that it was better with a small shot of Knob Creek bourbon, but I’ll have to agree to disagree on that one.
We also tried mixing in Lagavulin scotch for some reason, and that was… interesting. It tasted like if you had blended some finely chopped mushroom into the waffle batter. It wasn’t my jam, but that might be a matter of opinion.
The best version of this was the last thing we tried: one of our friends added this in a 1:1 mix with heavy cream and turned it into whipped cream. Not only was it tasty and delicious (just like with the ice cream), but it was light and airy as well. It seemed like the perfect thing to add to your hot coffee in the morning (assuming you don’t have important things to do with your day).
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Overall Rating
There’s no doubt that this is a novelty. It’s a gimmick. A funny thing that you pull out at a party to make everyone laugh. But the strange thing is… this might actually be a pretty good cream liqueur if used properly.
Pour this into some crushed ice or mix it in with a couple scoops of ice cream and you’ve got a delicious and slightly boozy treat. Mix it into a whipped cream. Crack open the bottle at a party and see what happens. But be aware — trying it neat is definitely not advised.
| Sugarlands Distilling Co Brunch in a Jar Waffles & Syrup Sippin' Cream Produced By: Sugarlands Distilling Co Production Location: Tennessee, United StatesClassification: Cream Liqueur Aging: No Age Statement (NAS) Proof: 20% ABV Price: $21.99 / 750 ml Overall Rating:   |
Overall Rating: 4/5
Grab some ice cream and embrace the chaos.
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