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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Zotter Scotch Whisky
The things that make it hard to give the bar my fullest recommendation would be how difficult it is to actually buy it (I picked mine up while in Germany) and when purchased in the US, it’s rather expensive at about $6 to $8 for the 2.47 bar. (There’s also a little bit of a question about one ingredient, fructose-glucose syrup, which sounds like high fructose corn syrup, though since it’s organic it’s not from GMO sources.) I’ve had a few Zotter bars over the years and have read plenty more reviews of their products as well. They have a weird twist to a lot of their flavors, some that I think work well in unexpected ways, and others that seem strange simply for the sake of it. I’m talking about combinations like Coffee-Plum with Caramelized Bacon or Cheese-Walnuts-Grapes to just a little unorthodox like Pear Cardamom to the downright unthinkable like Cornelian Cherries and Pig’s Blood. Think of them as the Jones Soda of fair trade candy bars.
The bar is the same format as all the others I’ve ever had. It’s about 5 inches long and about 2.3 inches wide. It’s not a thick bar but it is filled. They call them hand-scooped bars but they’re rather angular and always rectangular. This bar is enrobed, which is my preferred construction method. (My second favorite is panned, third is molded - that’s the kind of lists Candy Bloggers keep.) The full name of the bar on the front is Scotch Whisky “Highland Harvest”. There’s no other information on what kind of Whisky it is. The bar is glossy and has the slightest ripples across the top. The chocolate is 70% for the shell, the center uses the same but with he addition of the whiskey, milk, cream and fructose-glucose syrup. It smells a lot like Scotch, leathery and smoky with notes of vanilla, tobacco and of course the deep cocoa flavors.
The coating is thin, but still has a bold flavor, a smooth melt and woodsy flavor profile with a touch of coffee notes. The center is like a truffle, soft and with a silky melt. It’s barely sweet, with more than a touch of salt to it as well. The whiskey is quite evident, with a light burn on the tongue and throat. There’s a dryness and sort of acidity to the filling that’s unlike the profile of the chocolate in the coating. The leathery and smoky notes are strong and for some, probably, repulsive. I enjoy the pipe tobacco flavors to it, the mix of vanilla, red berries, oak and a touch of black walnut. I loved the bar. It’s completely decadent and I found it difficult to eat more than a third in one sitting. The 9%alcohol is pretty intense, too. I would buy this bar again, most definitely. I think I prefer Zotter’s more traditional formulations. I like their spirit though I don’t care much for the pork products in my chocolate, even if they’re not in this particular bar. (I know, I’m a hypocrite since I eat gummis, which also contain gelatin.) I haven’t been able to find Zotter bars in Los Angeles, so there’s little hope of these becoming my weekly habit. For other thoughts, check out Chocablog, who liked it overall, and Jim’s Chocolate Mission, who didn’t care for it much.
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Comment by
Ana on 1/31/12 at 3:39 pm #
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Comment by
Barbara on 1/31/12 at 5:41 pm #
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Comment by
Soph on 11/09/12 at 1:47 pm #
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.I also loved it. I thought the Marc de Champagne and the Plum Brandy bars were wonderful as well.
I actually liked everything I’ve tried from Zotter so far (except for a dark Labooko bar that got destroyed from the heat… so I will give it another try). I did avoid all bars containing stuff that made me think I wouldn’t like them and only went for what I found really tempting.
A friend has tried the Cornelian Cherries & Pig’s Blood bar and said that as weird as it may sound, really works out really well. I still don’t have the courage to buy that one
This sounds wonderful, but the Coffee-Plum with Bacon sounds even better to me! Might have to pay big bucks and find them online.
Yes, Zotter is indeed a very strange brand. They make lots of different chocolates, but their hand dipped bars are what they are known for. I don’t like alcohol much, so try to stay clear of those (I had Whiskey before and thought it was good, though) - my favourite so far has been the peanut butter and ketchup one.
Zotter also offers factory tours, and every so often we go there to test all the different chocolates. At the end they have a conveyor belt were all of their filled bars can be tested.
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