Corsair Citra Double IPA Review

Corsair Citra Double IPA is the whiskey that changed my mind about hopped whiskey. More specifically, it changed my mind about Corsair’s hopped whiskey, though to be fair, it’s not vapor hopped like the rest. I’d had glasses of the Corsair Galaxy and Corsair Mosaic at bars and friend’s houses before and never really care for them. Even at the tasting that spawned this review I didn’t care for either of them and so I was sure I wasn’t going to like this or the upcoming Rasputin, but sometimes I’m happily wrong.

Corsair Citra Double IPA starts life as a double IPA featuring Citra Hops. The reason it’s a double IPA is because it uses more malt and more hops in a batch of beer than a traditional IPA which already has that hoppy, slightly bitter, bite to it. Though when it comes to Citra hops that bitterness is accompanied by crisp citrus notes which occur in both Citra based beer and the Corsair Citra Double IPA whiskey.

Corsair Citra Double IPA Info

Region: Tennessee, USA

Distiller: Corsair
Mashbill: 91% Malted Barley, 7% Citra Hops, 2% Caramel Malt
Cask: New charred oak (15 gallon barrels)
Age: NAS (typically age for 5-10 months)
ABV: 46%

Price: $50

Corsair Citra Double IPA Review

EYE
Amber

NOSE
Grapefruit, grains, citrus peel, pine, toasted sugar and a light hoppy aroma with a touch of malty sweetness. It’s a bright and crisp aroma that’s bold and balanced.

PALATE
Grapefruit, grain, citrus peel, waxy, lemon zest and some light toffee, hoppy, malty sweet and toasty notes. Like the nose it’s bright, crisp, balanced and on another level… refreshing. I’m really digging it.

FINISH
Medium fade of citrus, pine, orange oil and hops.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great balance, medium body and a soft oily feel.

OVERALL

Corsair Citra Double IPA is a great whiskey from the folks at Corsair Distillery. Of their main “hopped whiskeys” this is my favorite and that could be because it’s not vapor hopped like the other two and uses the Citra hops, which I love, in the mash since it’s a distilled beer recipe. Though It’s difficult to actually quantify that since they don’t offer a vapor hopped version to A/B. However, what I can say for sure is that it’s bright, crisp, clean and balanced across the senses and has an almost refreshing quality to it from the prevalent bright bursts of citrus. It’s also the only one of the core 3 hopped whiskeys where I could pick up any maltiness.

I’ve long known that I was a fan of citra hops and to really complete the picture I picked up a Knee Deep Citra Extra IPA which I sipped on while reading through my notes and writing this review. It was fascinating, but not surprising, to see the similarities between them. It was also interesting how the beer reminded me of other citrus heavy single malts I’ve had.

The grapefruit notes in the beer, and by extension the Corsair Citra, reminded me of Laphroaig 18 and more currently the Bowmore Bicentenary and a South African SMWS Laphroaig release (29.94) I tried. They both have that same style of tart, with a tinge of sweet, grapefruit and citrus zest character that I enjoy in beverages as a whole. If this sounds like something up your alley I recommend hunting down a bottle of Corsair Citra for yourself, it’s awesome stuff.

SCORE: 87-89/100 (B+, consumed at a tasting)