Memphis restaurateur launches a new coffee-infused bourbon

With the tagline “perfect anytime,” AM-PM Coffee Bourbon hits Memphisarea liquor store shelves Friday.

This new specialty bourbon is the brainchild of Memphis restaurateur Jeff Johnson. Johnson is the owner of Local Gastropub and the soon-to-open Parish Grocery.

His newest project is a coffee-infused bourbon he created in collaboration with Big River Distilling and J.

Brooks Coffee Roasters.

“For years, I considered opening a brewery,” Johnson said. “But there was something about coffee and bourbon — plus the desire to create something that could be nationwide.”

The new bourbon has the perfect balance of bourbon and coffee.

“Neither overpowers the other,” Johnson said. “It's a smooth bourbon, with no bitterness.”

Enjoy it neat, on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail. Johnson said it has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.

The process

Johnson tasted several bourbons, ryes and blends at Big River Distilling until he found just the right base.

“I chose a 31⁄2-year-old Tennessee bourbon,” Johnson said. For the first run of AM-PM, he purchased six barrels.

“It was important for me to able to use a Tennessee product as the base,” he added.

The mash bill of the bourbon was 80% corn, 10% rye and 10% malted bar

ley.

Johnson used two different coffee beans to achieve the curated flavor he was looking for.

“We started with a medium roast Brazilian coffee bean,” Johnson said. “We allowed the coffee beans and Madagascar vanilla to seep in the bourbon for 20 hours.”

To extract the maximum amount of flavor, Johnson used coarse-ground coffee beans and split the vanilla beans. The beans and vanilla were placed in straining bags before being added to the barrels of bourbon.

A darker roast Guatemalan coffee bean was then added to the bourbon for one hour. It was the finishing touch to add a deeper coffee flavor. Cane sugar was added to round out the flavor.

Johnson had the bourbon blended down to 86 proof before bottling.

How to get a bottle

This week, 1,800 bottles will be released.

AM-PM will be available in most

COMMERCIAL APPEAL JOE RONDONE/THE Jeff Johnson has partnered with Big River Distillery on a coffee-infused bourbon called AM-PM.

JOE RONDONE/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Jeff Johnson, owner of Local in the Overton Square neighborhood, has partnered with Big River Distillery on a coffee-infused bourbon called AM-PM officially released at his bar on Oct. 8.