Skip to main content

🥃Review #61: Chattanooga Whiskey - Intergalactic Comet Crusher - Batch Alpha

Image
By
Chattanooga Whiskey - Intergalactic Comet Crusher - Batch Alpha on a deck

This extraterrestrial branded bourbon liquor was released by Chattanooga Whiskey Company on June 24, 2025 for World UFO day. It appears to be a custom mash bill bourbon that blurs the line between whiskey and gin by adding 42 distinct botanicals. Botanicals are substances or ingredients derived from plants like roots, berries, seeds, peels, bark, nuts, or spices. Intergalactic Comet Crusher - Batch Alpha (presumably the first of multiple releases to come) has manufacturer tastes notes "like having your brains smashed out by a bag of lemons dipped in 42 karat gold " which gives me Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy vibes. Chattanooga Whiskey experiments with their whiskies more than most and I usually enjoy the result. Just know that when they're gone, they're often gone for good. 

🛒Sourced: Purchased at Chattanooga Whiskey $49.99 - 750ml

Gifted to me by my brother and his partner - Thanks for contributing to my hobby and filling my cup!

🧪Proof: 84 proof, 42% ABV - 

🎨Color: R3 - A medium orange-ish tone

The binary code above the government warning says "Enjoy responsibly. Do not drink and drive." The raised text and frosty bottle are a nice touch. 

🥔Mash Bill:   Classified. Chattanooga also has a Limecello whiskey liqueur out that is based on the signature Barrel 91 mash bill which is undisclosed proportions of Yellow Corn, Malted Rye, Caramel Malted Barley & Honey Malted Barley. I would suspect that this bottle also is based on Barrel 91.

Batch size is 12 barrels. Infused with 42 Botanicals. Why 42? It's the answer to the meaning of life; that's why! Now you just need to know what the question is. Yep, confirmed Hitchhiker's Guide references. 

"Intensity: 6EQUJ5" is a reference to the WOW! Signal which was received in 1977 by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope. The signal originated from the Sagittarius constellation and was believed to have all the hallmarks of intelligent origin. I was not able to identify any meaning with the recipe coordinates or observables flavor text. 

👃Nose: Very strong with lemon cream, kitchen soap, juniper, perfume, and maybe a touch of pine essence. There is quite a bit going on and I can easily believe there are 42 botanicals in this thing. 

😜Palate: After the punchy nose, I'll admit I was a bit timid with my first sip. It is fairly smooth on the palate with little heat and medium thickness, more syrupy than I would have thought for the proof. On your tongue, it absolutely oozes lemon. There is a good amount of sweetness and the trademark Chattanooga malted grain flavor can be found in the background. Beyond the significant Lemon, there is sort of a herbaceous buzz that I have a tough time separating into parts, but the experience is overall pleasing.   

💦Finish: A short swirl of lemon creme that fades away leaving a bit of sweet stickiness on your lips. 

🏆 Overall:  5.5/10 - Good, Interesting Flavors - For the neat rating, I'm scoring it as a bourbon rather than a cocktail component, see below for that breakdown. This is potentially the least bourbon-like bourn liquor I've tasted to date, but not necessarily in a bad way. Intergalactic Comet Crusher is somewhere between Limoncello and Gin.  I like it. I've always been a sucker for lemon/lime bouquet and this definitely delivers. There is little to no wood influence apart from perhaps a hit of vanilla in the creme notes, and the botanicals overshadow most of the mash bill components' malty flavors. As such, I believe the only major impact of using a bourbon instead of a neutral spirit is in the delightful smoothness on the palate. A little time in the wood seems to have really helped knock any edge off of the spirit. All-in-all, I'd take this over most gins and behind most bourbons for neat drinking. Most will find this one to be a clear love-it or hate-it.  

Used in a Cocktail - The Crusher Tonic

As a gin adjacent beverage, I'm throwing some in a gin and tonic:

  • 2oz Comet Crusher
  • 4oz Tonic Water
  • 1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
Stirred heavily and put over ice in a lowball glass with lemon peel for garnish.  

🍸 Cocktail Rating:  8/10 - Excellent, The Weirdness Just Works - It really is similar to a more flavorful, delightfully lemony gin. I do much prefer it in a cocktail. There is just quite a lot going on in this bottle, and I think I may have been a bit overwhelmed neat. Unlocked with a little bit of tonic, Intergalactic Comet Crusher really shines. I can clearly make out clementine, anis, grape skin, and honeysuckle in addition to grandma's lemon meringue pie. I can't wait to try a regular highball with soda instead of tonic; think a little bit less sweetness will let more flavors shine through as well. 

💵Would buy again? Yes - I just poured another Crusher Tonic. I'm both amazed, confused, and happy all at the same time (I'll come back an update - don't worry). I'm don't typically drink cocktails, but might just have to start doing so with this bottle!

⚖️Rating Scale: 

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out 
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice. 
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

🍺🍷🥃 Beer, Wine, and Spirits Rebate Website Master List

By
If there is anything I love more than a good drink, it's saving money buying that good drink! The rules for providing discounts on alcohol differ substantially between states with some allowing outright discounts or coupons and others entirely disallowing any sort of purchase incentive. Thankfully though, in my native Georgia as well as most states, a simple reimbursement approach is permissible.  Last Updated & Validated 2/4/2026 . Alcohol Rebate Site Master List The following sites are relatively stable for each manufacturer. New offers usually come out every few months. None of these are affiliate links and I provide no assurance as to the process. I have saved so much money using rebates and hope you have similar success. Best practices and general process advice will be presented at the bottom. New sites will be added as I uncover them. Beer Rebates Boston Beer Company Brands  - Angry Orchard, Dogfish head, Hard Mountain Dew, Samuel Adams, Sun Crusher, Truly, and Twis...
Read more

🥃 Review #34: ASW Fiddler Toasted Wheat Cask Strength Bourbon

By
Founded by University of Georgia graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, American Spirit Whiskey Distillery ("ASW") is a craft producer out of Atlanta, GA with the plant registry DSP-GA-20014. As Southern Pot-Still Pioneers, they are one of the few producers to distill in the ancient Scottish Tradition of small, grain-in batches (where grain solids are left in for the remainder of the distillation process) though they also partner with Midwest Grain Products to source distillate for further aging, finishing and blending before bottling as is the case here. This bottle is from the June 2023 batch which is a blend of two principal spirits. ASW's master distiller, Justin Maglitz, is accomplished old-time string music fiddler and he often experiments with various factors between batches. As such, the "Fiddler" brand name fits perfectly. No two batches are truly the same, but all of the ones I've had so far have been to my liking. This bottle shares the same...
Read more

🎮 Call of Duty Warzone - The Drinking Game

By
Fairly self explanatory per the graphic below. What could be more fun than tossing back a few cold ones with your closest buds while rampaging through one of your favorite video games? Call of Duty Warzone might not have as much nostalgia as it did in the Verdansk days, but it still has some charm. The best part: you'll already be at home when you're done so there's no need to worry about a designated driver! Obligatory plug to know your limits, be legal, and drink responsibly, we don't respawn IRL (yes I know that's a cringe statement - that's the joke).  Call of Duty Warzone Drinking Game Prep To play the game, you'll need the following in addition to an internet connection, gaming device, and Call of Duty: A Party Sipper of your Choice - I recommend something relatively low ABV. We balanced the rules for a player of moderate ability and a sipper of 4-8% alcohol. Light beer is my go-to here since it has enough lovely hydrating water to soak up any shots. ...
Read more

🔌Review - QuickTrip Energy - Ultra

By
QuickTrip has a solid history of being in the energy drink business with it's "Rooster Booster" brand, most often in a Big Q from the fountain. Around 2022, they rolled out a 16oz canned line simply titled "QT Energy" to capitalize on continued growth in the energy drink segment, particularly with gen-z. The cans feature a digital camouflage design, in this case gray pixels, and seem to be primarily marketed at young men. In the store, they're usually about knee level on the left hand side of the main energy drink cooler, somewhat hard to spot compared to blocks of larger numbers of SKUs for other brands. 🛒 Price:  $2.39 (often 2/$4 or with a BOGO coupon in the app). This one was a BOGO for me ✨Calories:  10 ,  16oz. can 🍵 Caffeine:  160mg, slightly less than a cup of coffee 👅 Flavor:  Whereas the red original flavor was very much a Red Bull clone, this one tastes very much like the original Monster Energy, almost exactly the same as their Zero Sugar of...
Read more

☕ All Java Monster Flavors Tasted & Ranked

By
As a habitual caffeine abuser, I have a soft spot for Monster, both for their expansive lineup of flavors as well as their support for Sports and E-sports. Coffee is my standard caffeination vector, so the Java Monster suite of products is the perfect mix of bean flavor and energy boost. In this post, I'll provide my personal rankings and rationale for what is a very strong lineup.  Note that I have not been compensated in any way for this write-up... I just like them. Currently,  Monster Energy 's Java Monster lineup has five available flavors: Mean Bean - Vanilla Irish Crème Loca Mocha - Chocolate Salted Caramel Café Latte There are two "triple shot" versions of the Vanilla and Mocha which contain 300mg of caffeine though their flavors are very similar to the base versions above. At this point, we should also take a moment of silence for the two cold brew flavors, sweet black and nitro latte. The nitro latte was a personal favorite and I quite liked the sweet black,...
Read more