It was a month or two ago when Spotify decided that one of my Daily Mixes would include a heavy dose of old school 80s/90s thrash metal. It was a bit odd since it’s been almost 20 years since I last listened to Metallica or Megadeth (I was never a fan of Slayer or Anthrax, the other two of the Big 4). But for whatever reason, Spotify felt I needed it that day. And it turns out that I did. I enjoyed a day of work listening to Megadeth and pre-Load era Metallica.
Other than help release the stress of the day, the playlist reminded me that I’d been sitting on a bottle of Blackened, Metallica’s whiskey release that I’d picked up on a whim on Halloween 2020. It had been buried in my whiskey closet ever since.
I don’t normally have much interest in “celebrity” whiskey brands. Most of them aren’t worth the, often overly ornate, bottle that they are packaged in. But after two years of seeing it on the shelf, I decided that it had lasted long enough to warrant a look. Plus, Dave Pickerell, a man I’d long respected, had helped with the development before he passed.
So what is Blackened whiskey? Well, it is a blend of straight bourbon and straight rye that has been finished in brandy barrels. Before finishing is complete, the barrels are blasted with a playlist of Metallica music in order to “sonically-enhance the whiskey.” In other words, vibrate the barrels in order to cause more interaction with the wood. (Does it work? No idea, but I can think of a few small distilleries that were doing it before this. So who knows.) Each batch has its own playlist and you can see them all on the Blackened website. (You can listen to batch 104’s playlist on Spotify here. It’s not a bad playlist, though there are a couple of songs I wasn’t a fan of on there.)
In any case, the biggest question is: is it any good?
Blackened - Batch 104
Purchase info: $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00
Details: A Blend of Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskeys (predominantly bourbon according to the website). Finished in Brandy casks. 45% ABV.
Nose: Bubble gum, mint, vanilla, caramel, cedar, and baking spices.
Mouth: Cedar, mint, and baking spices layered over a base of black tea.
Finish: Medium length with lingering spicy cinnamon, cooling mint, and a nice fruitiness.
Thoughts: The further I get into the glass, the more I like this one. (Don't get any ideas, tasting pours are only an ounce in my house.) It tastes like what the label calls it, a blend of whiskeys. You get sips that are straight-up rye and others that are sweet like bourbon. Overall, Blackened is tasty, but I'll probably want to be in the mood for it to pour myself a glass. Like many finished whiskeys, I won't always be in the mood for Blackened, but I will enjoy the shit out of it when I am.
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