How barrel aging, spirits, and a little experimentation
can bring complementary flavors to chocolate.

Chocolate and spirits have a lot in common. Both begin with agricultural ingredients, both rely on careful processing to develop flavor, and both offer an incredible range of aromas and tasting notes.

At Ritual, we've always been fascinated by the flavors of cacao and the different ways we can bring them to life. Over the years, that curiosity has led us to experiment with wine, beer, even absinthe, but most recently, bourbon barrels, sparkling wine, and barrel-aged gin.

The results are three very different chocolates.

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What Happens Inside a Barrel?

Barrel aging has been an important part of whiskey and winemaking for centuries. While barrels were originally used for storing and transporting liquids, producers discovered that the wood itself could transform the flavor of what was inside.

 

Oak is particularly interesting. As whiskey ages, the wood contributes compounds that can create aromas of vanilla, caramel, coconut, spice, and toasted wood. The type of oak, how heavily it's charred or toasted, and what was previously stored in the barrel all influence the final result.

Time matters, too. The longer a spirit spends in contact with wood, the more opportunity there is for its flavors to develop and change.

But what happens when we put cacao into that environment instead?

Why Barrel-Age Cacao?

Cacao is wonderfully receptive to the aromas around it. Its naturally high fat content (approx 50%) makes it particularly good at absorbing aromatic compounds, which opens up some exciting possibilities for chocolate.

By placing cacao nibs in a barrel that previously held spirits, we can introduce subtle new flavors before the nibs are ground and made into chocolate. What's particularly interesting is that the result isn't necessarily a chocolate that tastes strongly of alcohol.

Instead, the barrel can contribute delicate notes of oak, vanilla, spice or the spirit that once occupied it. Our goal has never been to overpower the chocolate. We want the cacao to remain the star, with the barrel or spirit adding another layer of complexity.

High West Bourbon Barrel Aged

A Little Time in Oak

Our exploration of barrel-aged chocolate began with our friends at High West Distillery in Park City, Utah. When we moved Ritual to Park City in 2015, we really loved what High West was doing and wanted to collaborate in some form. After convincing them to give us a barrel to experiment with and managing to squeeze it into the back of our Subaru, we were so excited to fill the barrel with roasted cacao nibs and see the effect of aging on the nibs and chocolate.

What we discovered was better than we expected. It really rounded out the edges of the cacao and added these warm oaky, caramel, vanilla notes that created a whole new experience. It was the first time I really understood the effect that barrel aging can have. Often when we do tastings, we have people try our Mid Mountain Blend and our barrel-aged chocolate side by side to really taste the difference.

For this bar, we take a blend of cacao nibs and age them in High West bourbon barrels for more than three months. During that time, the nibs absorb aromas left behind by the bourbon and the charred American white oak.

For this bar, we take a blend of cacao nibs and age them in High West bourbon barrels for more than three months. During that time, the nibs absorb aromas left behind by the bourbon and the charred American white oak.

What we find most interesting about the finished chocolate isn't an overwhelming bourbon flavor. In fact, the whiskey character is quite subtle.

It's the way the chocolate seems to soften.

The barrel brings a gentle roundness to the flavor, smoothing some of the sharper edges of the cacao while introducing hints of oak, vanilla, and bourbon. There's a lovely lingering aroma and finish.

And the collaboration doesn't end when we remove the nibs.

Once we've finished aging our cacao, the barrels go back to High West, where they're filled with whiskey again for a special limited release.

We love this exchange. The barrel influences the chocolate, and then the cacao has an opportunity to influence the whiskey. It's a wonderful example of two crafts coming together, each bringing something different to the other.

Après

A Celebration of Sparkling Wine

Our Après bar takes a different approach.

Instead of aging cacao in an oak whiskey barrel, we add sparkling white wine to a barrel with our roasted cacao nibs for two weeks, dehydrate the nibs on trays in our ovens, then add sugar and refine the nibs into chocolate. This method really celebrates the flavor of the wine and how it comes through as the chocolate melts in your mouth.

The idea came about when we created a Limited Edition bar called Berries and Bubbly, fruity and bright, made for celebration. People loved it, and we made it a mainstay in our line.

This isn't traditional oak barrel aging. Instead, we're exploring how the wine's character can influence the finished chocolate.

Après has become one of our bestselling bars, and it's a lovely example of how a small experiment can grow into something people really connect with.

Gin Juniper Lavender

An Aromatic Experiment

For our Gin Juniper Lavender bar, we take yet another approach, soaking our roasted cacao nibs with barrel-aged gin.

We had our Juniper Lavender bar for several years, and the team here at Ritual often discussed how the Juniper made you want to pair it with a gin and tonic or add gin in some way. When we met Sara Sargent at Alpine Distilling, we knew we had to make this bar happen.

Gin brings a very different aromatic character to chocolate than bourbon or wine. With its botanical associations, particularly juniper, gin opens the door to a more herbal and floral flavor experience. Paired with juniper and lavender, this chocolate explores a different side of cacao, one that is more aromatic.

Like Après, this isn't traditional oak barrel aging. It's an experiment in using spirits to build flavor in chocolate.

And that's part of what makes this collection interesting.
Each bar takes a different path to its final flavor.

Balance & Inspiration

One of the most important lessons we've learned through these experiments is that more isn't necessarily better.

It's tempting to think that longer aging or stronger spirit flavors will create a more interesting chocolate. But cacao already has an incredible range of flavors, from bright fruit and florals to nuts, caramel, and earthy notes. The challenge is finding the right balance when adding ingredients or a flavor-changing process.

We want the spirit or barrel to complement the cacao, not cover it up.

Sometimes that means allowing just a hint of bourbon to linger in the finish. Other times, it means introducing a more expressive botanical character or the subtle influence of sparkling wine.

It's a process of experimentation, tasting, and adjusting until the flavors feel right together.

Working with barrels and spirits gives us another way to explore the possibilities of cacao, drawing inspiration from the craftsmanship of distillers and winemakers while bringing our own chocolate-making perspective to the process. And while the techniques behind our three spirit-inspired bars are different, they share the same idea.

Chocolate making is full of possibilities
and often requires thinking outside the box when it comes to flavor.