Of all the Doritos flavored products one could imagine, a nacho cheese liquor would probably not be top of your list.
Nevertheless, the Doritos brand has teamed up with the Danish spirit company Empirical to launch a liquor based on Doritos’ nacho cheese flavor that apparently “tastes just like the real thing.”
“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.”
According to the product’s web page, the first batch has already sold out online at a price of $65. It is also expected to launch in “selected markets” in New York and California, according to the news release.
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“Empirical is an ‘uncategorized’ spirits company, so it allows us the freedom to experiment with really interesting flavors and not have to be stuck in a gin box or tequila box or whiskey box,” Empirical CEO Lars Williams explained in the release.
“And we can take something that has a unique and amazing flavor, like Doritos, and evolve it into something completely new.”
If you’ve ever eaten a Dorito and wished you could drink it, well, now’s your chance. https://t.co/TALKp9yRCZ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 17, 2023
Will you try it?
“The spirit opens with umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, moving to the deeper, corn-forward flavors of the chip to finish on a soft salty note,” the news release declares.
According to the Doritos manufacturer Frito Lay, which is owned by Pepsi, the partnership “marks a first-of-a-kind innovation for both brands and brings fans a truly new experience.”
“To create the flavor, the many flavor layers of Doritos Nacho Cheese are extracted through Empirical’s innovative production process, using real Doritos chips and retaining their essence through vacuum distillation,” the news release stated.
“Unlike traditional distillation methods, vacuum distillation operates at lower temperatures, preserving the full spectrum of flavors derived from Doritos.”
A retail analyst who spoke with CNN argued that the product — which CNN described as “a flavored spirit and not a specific category of liquor” — could succeed because of its novelty value.
“While the flavor may seem wacky, the collaboration has novelty value, and it is likely a lot of people will be interested enough to try it out,” Neil Saunders, the managing director at GlobalData Retail, told CNN.
“Consumers are in the mood to test new things and are looking for products that are interesting and a bit different from the run of the mill.”
Meanwhile, one food writer at The Washington Post tried the liquor herself and decided that it was “actually good.”
“Honestly, were it not for the credibility Empirical has established as a company run by folks with a serious culinary background and a complex approach to flavor, I would have dismissed it as a pure stunt bottling,” Post journalist Carrie Allan wrote.
“And sure, it’s a little stunty,” she continued. “But tell that to Proust’s madeleine: When I lowered my snout into a tasting glass of this stuff, damned if I wasn’t swept into a powerful, sensual memory of inhaling Doritos on a lunch break in my car, back during my divorce in 2004.”
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