Company: Defiant Distillery
Distillery: Blue Ridge Distilling Co.
Region: Golden Valley, North Carolina
Aging: Less than 6 months
ABV: 41%
Proof: 82
Mash Bill: 100% American Malted Barley and Pure Mountain Spring Water
Non-Chill Filtered: No
MSRP Price: $42
Appearance: Light Honey
Defiant American Single Malt Tasting Notes
Nose: Light toffee, rubber, malt, corn (even though it’s 100% Malted Barley), light fruits
Palate: Candied fruits, apricot, orange zest, a touch of caramel, earthy cereal grain, pepper
Finish: Medium finish with a bit of heat – leaves you with candied fruit and a bit of orange zest then turns over into light honey, cereal grain, and malt with a lingering pepper spice
Is Defiant American Single Malt an Approachable Whisky?
When I first smelled Defiant, I did not enjoy what I got. It smelled a bit rubbery to me and almost more of the scent I would get from a 100% corn whiskey which threw me off a bit.
But when I tasted it, I got a nice blast of light fruits – mostly apricot and orange zest.
The finish has a bit of heat and doesn’t really leave you with a ton of flavor so this isn’t a whiskey I would be drinking regularly.
Is Defiant American Single Malt Complex?
Defiant American Single Malt doesn’t actually seem to be your standard single malt.
The Defiant website says the following:
“It’s not about aging whiskey, it’s about imparting the qualities that are in the oak, in the whiskey, in a way which marries those two together and compliments the whiskey. And barrels are such an inefficient way of doing that.”
What they do instead is put actual barrel inserts directly into the whiskey itself to age it.
It’s not my cup of tea so I would say they should stick to the standard aging process in barrels.
What are Defiant American Single Malt’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Defiant American Single Malt’s strongest attribute is the fruit you get on the first sip.
Is Defiant American Single Malt a go-to whisky?
Defiant isn’t a whiskey I would drink as a daily sipper. I’m not particularly a fan of those nose on this one and the flavor just isn’t for me.
Is Defiant American Single Malt priced accurately to its quality?
At the $42 price point, there are plenty of whiskeys I would recommend instead of Defiant.
Conclusion for Defiant American Single Malt
There aren’t many American Single Malts on the market overall let alone ones that have perfected the formula. The Jack Daniels Twice Barrel Special Release is the best I’ve had so far.
I give Defiant credit for their efforts, but it’s just not a whiskey I would drink regularly.
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