Spirit and Vanilla Bean Pairings

This is a surprisingly complex question. As the number of vanilla bean varieties seems to be continually increasing, and the the varying spirits used for extract making are also growing, the possible combinations for extract making number in the hundreds or possibly even the thousands! 

We will try to simplify the options here by listing all of the vanilla beans we offer and the various spirits that would pair well with each. Fruit, spice and cacao extract pairings will be found below the vanilla bean chart. While these are simply our recommendations based on what we have enjoyed, this list is not "one size fits all". Every palate is different and so we encourage you to expand beyond these categories and experiment with tastes you may appreciate. Share your findings with us so we can share successes and failures with others to help them even more.

We will keep our spirit categories simplified to Vodka, Bourbon, White Rum, Dark Rum, Brandy and Tequila. Remember, that all cognac is brandy and all bourbon is whiskey. That means when we recommend brandy you could also use cognac and when we recommend bourbon you could also use your favorite whiskey. You can learn more about our favorite spirit brands in our Spirit Brand Review. 

All of the vanilla beans will be listed alphabetically by country so you can find your vanilla beans easily. The "x" means that we approve the spirit/bean pairing. 

Bean Origin	Species	Vodka	Bourbon	White Rum	Dark Rum	Tequila	Brandy
Australia	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x
Brazil	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x
Cook Islands	V. tahitensis	x		x		x	x
Comoros	V. planifolia	x	x		x
Congo	V. planifolia	x		x	x
Costa Rica	V. planifolia	x		x	x		x
East Timor	V. planifolia	x			x		x
Ecuador (Original & Colorado)	V. tahitensis	x		x		x	x
Fiji	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x		x
Guatemalan	V. cribbiana	x	x		x		x
Hawaiian	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x		x
India	V. planifolia	x	x		x	x
Indonesia (Papua)	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x
Indonesia (Java)	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x
Indonesia (Sentani)	V. tahitensis	x		x		x	x
Indonesia (Sumatra)	V. planifolia	x	x		x	x
Madagascar	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x	x	x
Marquesas	V. tahitensis	x		x	x		x
Mauritius	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x	x	x
Mexico (Chiapas)	V. bahiana	x	x		x	x
Mexico (Oaxaca)	V. pompona	x	x		x	x
Mexico (Veracruz)	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x	x
Mexico (Yucatan)	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x	x	x
New Caledonia	V. planifolia	x	x	x			x
Niue	V. tahitensis	x		x		x	x
Papua New Guinea (Kerema)	V. tahitensis	x		x		x	x
Papua New Guinea (Popondetta)	V. planifolia	x	x		x
Peru	V. pompona	x	x	x	x		x
Reunion	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x		x
Sri Lanka	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x
Tahiti	V. tahitensis	x		x		x	x
Tanzania	V. planifolia	x	x	x	x	x	x
Tongan	V. planifolia	x		x			x
Ugandan	V. planifolia	x	x	x		x	x
Vanuatu	V. planifolia	x		x	x	x

 

Fruit, Cacao and Spice Pairings

Product	Vodka	Bourbon	White Rum	Dark Rum	Tequila	Brandy
Fruits	x		x
Cacao	x	x	x	x		x
Cinnamon	x	x	x	x	x	x
Star Anise	x		x
Allspice	x		x	x		x
Cloves	x	x	x	x		x

 

Learn everything you need to know about extract making by visiting our extract-making guide center.