Even though the COVID-19 coronavirus has everything locked down, I can still share beer and cider reviews among other things to everyone something to read while you’re cooped up!

Portland Cider Company released Blueberry Bourbon Basil at the beginning of the year (and good news—according to the original press release, it should be available through the end of March, which means you should be able to pick it up to go at PCC’s taprooms), as a collaboration project with Portland-based Blue Star Donuts. Blue Star, if you’re unfamiliar, specializes in gourmet doughnuts with unusual flavor combinations, and has become something of a Portland icon in recent years.

Portland Cider’s version of Blue Star’s BBB doughnut is described in the original press release:

The cider is inspired by Blue Star Donuts’ sweet and colorful Blueberry Bourbon Basil donut, one of the company’s most popular products, which combines fresh sweet blueberries, fragrant basil, and a good local bourbon added for a hint of caramel depth. Like the donut, Portland Cider Co.’s Blueberry Bourbon Basil features a blend of bright blueberries, fresh herbal basil and deep rich bourbon notes from oak aging.

Blueberry Bourbon Basil is the second release in Portland Cider Co.’s Small Batch Series, which allows the cidermakers to experiment with fun flavors and styles to introduce new ciders more frequently––giving cider lovers more of what they love. The cider has personal meaning for Deron Davenport, Portland Cider Co.’s head cidermaker. A home cidermaker turned professional, Davenport made a batch of Blueberry Bourbon Basil as one of his very first homebrew ciders.

The collaboration with Blue Star Donuts goes back to the bakery’s early days; Blue Star has used Portland Cider Co.’s award winning flagship Kinda Dry cider in its hard cider apple fritter, sold year-round, since 2013. The two companies have since partnered on several donut and cider pairing events over the years, including Portland Cider Co.’s annual Cider & Donuts Festival, held each June as part of Oregon Cider Week.

We picked up a can of Blueberry Bourbon Basil to split and review. It’s 6% ABV and is available on draft and in 19.2 ounce stovepipe cans.

Appearance: Deep reddish violet hue, the color of crushed blueberries. It’s quite clear, and mostly still; there was minimal fizz on pouring it, otherwise no real indication of carbonation.

Smell: Straight cider with a mix of berry juice with a touch of apple tartness. No aroma of bourbon or basil that I can detect.

Taste: There is a bit of bourbon sweetness in the flavor, with some (blue)berry tartness and green apple and a hint of herbal basil spiciness at the back. It’s semi-sweet with residual ripe blueberry juiciness notes, and hints of vanilla (from the bourbon I’m guessing).

Mouthfeel: Semi-sweet with a drying character, fairly still. Overall drinks with a clean mouthfeel with a bit of tart tang in the end.

Overall: A nice berry cider in general but I was a little bit disappointed by the lack of overt bourbon and basil character. Of course you could use this as the base in a bourbon cocktail with a basil garnish and it would work pretty well. And it’s still a good cider to have on hand during the COVID-19 isolation.