The Taste Bud: Nacho Cheese Doritos as a Distilled Spirit

Just when we thought the world couldn’t get any stupider, Doritos announces that it has released a Nacho Cheese Doritos-flavored distilled spirit.

That’s right – Doritos booze.

Frito Lay got together with Empirical, a spirits company, to release – this is direct from a news release -- “a multi-sensorial, delicious beverage experience that smells and tastes just like the real thing … bringing the iconic flavor of Doritos Nacho Cheese Chips into the spirits aisle.”

But wait – there’s more.

"Doritos is all about disrupting culture and bringing our fans unexpected, bold experiences," Tina Mahal, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Frito-Lay North America, said in a news release. "We're always pushing our fans to try new things, so we figure it's time we disrupt the spirits category by offering our iconic nacho cheese flavor in a bottle."

OK, then.

To create the flavor, the announcement said, “the many flavor layers of Doritos Nacho Cheese” get extracted through Empirical's “innovative” production process using real Doritos chips. This flavor or liquid or whatever it becomes is then vacuum distilled at lower temperatures than normal, thus “preserving the full spectrum of flavors derived from Doritos.”

The process, according to Lars Williams, Chef/Distiller & CEO, Empirical, allows the company to "take something that has a unique and amazing flavor, like Doritos, and evolve it into something completely new."

So, what does this snack spirit really taste like? Good question, and Empirical offered tasting notes: nacho cheese, corn tostada, umami and hints of acidity. Apparently, it finishes “on a salty note.” Yeah, sounds lovely. And the suggestion is to put it in a Bloody Mary or Old Fashioned, or to simply sip it neat or over ice. Now, will anyone actually do this? That’s the question at hand.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to get this product in Louisville. Limited-edition bottles of Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit will be available next month for a suggested retail price of $65.00 (42% ABV, 750ml) online and in select New York and California markets only.

Not gonna lie. I'm OK with not getting to taste it.

For more information, visit empirical.co.