Company: Sweet Amber Distilling Co.
Distillery: Undisclosed
Region: Columbus, Ohio
Aging: No Age Statement – finished in Brandy Casks
ABV: 45%
Proof: 90
Mash Bill: Undisclosed
Non-Chill Filtered: No
MSRP Price: $40
Appearance: Honey
Blackened Whiskey Tasting Notes
Nose: Honey, Toffee, Cinnamon, Toasted Oak, Vanilla, Light Citrus, Apricot, Baking Spice
Palate: Brown Sugar, peanut, cinnamon toasted nuts, citrus zest, candied apricot, allspice, clove, rye spice, pepper
Finish: Medium finish that leaves you with a nice toasted nutty flavor profile that finishes with a bit of citrus zest and pepper spice
My History with Metallica
I have always been a huge fan of Metallica.
Since I first started to play guitar in 6th grade with the other co-founder of this website, Metallica was one of the first bands we learned how to play.
From “Master of Puppets” and “Sanitarium” to “Ride the Lighting” and “And Justice for All”, we were always huge fans.
I remember the first Metallica concert that I went to back in high school, in particular, the moment I heard the helicopter sounds for the intro to “One” and it was one of the greatest live music moments I’ve ever seen.
I always remember wishing I had purchased floor tickets so we could be down on the field and up close.
Fast forward to 2022 and I heard Metallica would be coming to Pittsburgh for the first time in years.
I immediately purchased two tickets for myself and the other founder of this website Chuck.
I didn’t even ask him if he wanted to go, I just purchased the tickets and told him about them later.
Lucky for me, the Blackened Batch 100 Limited Edition Box Set had been announced and I was able to order myself one!
Chuck and I made a whole day of the concert starting with a pour of this Blackened Whiskey Batch 100 that came with vinyl records, commemorative items, and a mini magazine describing the process of making the whiskey with Dave Pickerell who unfortunately passed away shortly after completing the project.
The day of the concert we enjoyed a full day of excellent steak, whiskey, and music. Metallica absolutely crushed the music at the concert and it is one of the best concerts I have ever been to. And this time around, I made sure to get tickets right on the floor and up close.
The box set explains how Metallica would have jam sessions live in the studio with the barrels in front of the speakers. The band’s “Black Noise Sonic Enhancement” from the music is certainly a crazy idea and may not have a ton of effect on the flavor but I find it really fun to imagine Metallica rocking out to a bunch of whiskey barrels and “infusing” their sound into the whiskey.
And to be honest, I’ve done a lot of audio frequency experiments when I was a physics major in college and it is insane the effects audio frequencies can have on liquids. Cymatics is the study of wave phenomena of sound and vibration made visible.
Below is a fun video I’ve always enjoyed that demonstrates some of the fun experiments on how audio frequency can affect matter and liquid that I’ve experienced first hand my college physics labs.
So while the band playing music through the whiskey may not have a huge effect, I like to imagine the jam sessions they had and the whiskey moving in the barrels.
So with all of that history, I will now get into the review of the whiskey itself. And I try to be as impartial to the branding side versus the actual quality of the whiskey as best I can.
So let’s get into it.
Is Blackened Whiskey an Approachable Whiskey?
Blackened Whiskey is surprisingly approachable and flavorful. It has a bit of heat and spice on the finish, but nothing a beginner whiskey drinker couldn’t handle.
Is Blackened Whiskey Complex?
Blackened Whiskey has a few layers of flavors.
Rather than just being your standard caramel and oak flavors, Blackened Whiskey adds a few more flavor notes to the mix.
You get a bit more fruits and nutty flavors than your average bourbon and it finishes out with a nice rye spice.
What are Blackened Whiskey’s strongest attributes/flavors?
To be honest, Blackened Whiskey’s strongest attribute is that it is branded by one of the biggest heavy metal bands in the world.
When I first tried the whiskey, I didn’t expect much since it was just another celebrity-endorsed whiskey brand, but since they partnered with the legendary Dave Pickerell the quality is on par with the price tag.
Is Blackened Whiskey a go-to whiskey?
Blackened Whiskey is a pretty good value whiskey. While $45 is a little pricier than some of the lower-tier whiskeys, I do think that Blackened whiskey also offers a bit more flavors than some of the cheaper brands.
Is Blackened Whiskey priced accurately to its quality?
I think Blackened Whiskey is priced right where it needs to be. It delivers on the $45 price tag and offers a level of complexity higher than your low-level whiskey bottles.
With that being said, if this were priced under $40, I would probably buy it a lot more often.
I have also noticed this bottle appearing on the shelves of more bars in my area, so I’m expecting it to see a bit of growth as they start coming out with more bottles and editions.
I have not yet had the chance to try the Blackened Rye, but I did get the Blackened x Wes Henderson limited edition and it is spectacular.
Conclusion for Blackened Whiskey
Blackened Whiskey is a pretty solid whiskey for the price tag.
This particular bottle is special to me and the limited edition box set is almost a souvenir and memory of the concert I went to with my friend Chuck.
I would recommend trying out the whiskey if you see it on your shelves.
And if you’re a fan of Metallica at all, I definitely suggest purchasing a bottle and supporting the band and their endeavor into whiskey.
Let Us Know What You Think
I hope you enjoyed reading about this tasting experience with me.
If you decide to buy yourself a pour of this, please let me know what you think of it on social media via Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
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