Blackened, for those that don’t remember, was launched back in 2018 in collaboration with Metallica and late Master Distiller Dave Pickerell. It is a blend of bourbons and ryes from North America that were individually aged for eight years, combined in black brandy casks and exposed to “low-hertz frequencies” of Metallica’s songs to influence the finishing in a sonic enhancement process called Black Noise.
The Cask Strength that’s been unveiled has the same blend and sonic enhancement treatment. However, this blend is bottled at 110.7 proof, rather than the Blackened’s standard 90 proof. Official tasting notes indicate that, “on the nose, you’ll find notes of maple syrup, vanilla, almond, corn husk, white pepper, and cinnamon bark. A sip offers a warming butter-cream mouthfeel that rolls through to almond, nougat and pear with a drying walnut, cinnamon and butterscotch finish.
“Add a small drop of filtered water and the heat softens up immensely, opening the whiskey and allowing a more prominent flavor profile.”
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READ THE STORY“I’m excited to debut the first expression in our Cask Strength program with our fans and whiskey aficionados,” said Rob Deitrich, Blackened’s Master Distiller & Blender, in a prepared statement. “Metallica packs a punch with their performances, which is epitomized with the S&M2 album release. The Cask Strength version offers Blackened in its purest form while emulating the powerhouse musicians behind it.”
Batch 106 is available in a commemorative box “featuring original, Blackened x S&M2 Squindo artwork to celebrate the use of the S&M2 playlist in the sonic enhancement process.” It is pricing around $55 per 750 ml bottle and out there at retail in limited numbers.
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