Still Spirits Top Shelf Cherry Bourbon
- Buy 5 for $9.65 each and save 10%
Craft a rich, deeply flavoured cherry bourbon at home with the Still Spirits Top Shelf Cherry Bourbon essence. This premium home distilling concentrate combines the warmth of classic American-style bourbon — caramel, vanilla, toasted oak — with the bold sweetness of dark ripe cherries. One bottle makes up to 1,125ml of smooth, ready-to-drink cherry bourbon spirit. No still required. Just add to a neutral alcohol base, mix, and pour.
Cherry Flavoured Bourbon
What Flavour is This Essence?
The Still Spirits Top Shelf Cherry Bourbon is a fruit-forward bourbon-style spirit essence that layers the classic warmth of a well-crafted bourbon with the bold, dark sweetness of ripe cherries. It sits in a uniquely satisfying middle ground — more serious than a cherry liqueur, more approachable than a straight bourbon. Think dark morello cherries folded into caramel and toasted oak, finishing smooth and slightly sweet. It's a versatile spirit that works beautifully on its own and shines in cocktails that call for either fruit or whiskey character. A popular choice for entertaining, gifting, or simply stocking the home bar with something a little different.
Flavour Profile
Nose: Dark cherry, maraschino, warm caramel, hint of vanilla
Palate: Rich ripe cherry upfront, bourbon sweetness mid-palate, subtle toasted oak.
Finish: Smooth, lingering fruit-and-spice warmth — medium length, gently sweet
How to Use It?
Using the Still Spirits Top Shelf Cherry Bourbon essence is quick, beginner-friendly, and requires no distilling equipment:
- Measure out your neutral alcohol base (see below) into a clean mixing vessel.
- Add the entire bottle of Cherry Bourbon essence at the recommended ratio — typically yielding 1,125ml of finished spirit per bottle.
- Stir or gently shake until fully combined.
- Rest for at least 24–48 hours before serving — the cherry and bourbon flavours meld and soften considerably with a short rest, producing a noticeably smoother result.
- Serve neat, over a large ice cube, or use as the base for cocktails.
Pro tip: For a slightly richer, deeper finish, add a small amount of Still Spirits American Oak Chips during the resting period and cold-filter before bottling.
What Spirits Can It Make?
This essence produces a cherry bourbon-style spirit — a versatile flavoured whiskey that punches well above its price point when served neat over ice. It's the ideal base for a Cherry Bourbon Sour (cherry bourbon, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white — shaken hard and double-strained), one of the most crowd-pleasing cocktails you can make from a home-distilled spirit. It also works brilliantly in a Cherry Old Fashioned alongside muddled sugar and Angostura bitters, or served long over ice with ginger beer for an easy warm-weather drink. Beyond cocktails, it makes an exceptional gifting bottle — dressed up with a custom label, it's genuinely impressive for the cost per bottle.
What Alcohol Base Works Best?
A clean, filtered neutral grain spirit or vodka base at 40% ABV delivers the best results — it lets the cherry and bourbon character carry fully without any competing flavour. Carbon filtering your home-distilled base beforehand is strongly recommended if you want the fruit notes to read cleanly. Store-bought plain vodka works equally well if you're not distilling your own base. Avoid any flavoured or aged spirits as a base — they will muddy the cherry profile and flatten the bourbon character.