Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review.
When I was a younger lad I was very much into playing Dungeons & Dragons. The legendary role playing game, first published back in 1974 and created by designers Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, has become a cultural phenomena in the ensuing 49 years that’s spawned an amazing eco-system well outside of the scope of this whiskey review to fully dive into. Suffice to say it is not going away any time soon.
In playing D&D I often gravitated to playing the paladin, a holy warrior empowered with special clerical spells and related skills. That’s one reason why I’m particularly looking forward to reviewing today’s whiskey, Quest’s End Whiskey Paladin, released by Find Familiar Spirits.
Find Familiar Spirits is a joint adventuring party consisting of actor Matthew Lillard, screenwriter Justin Ware and Blue Run Spirits co-founder Tim Sparapani. The basic focus of this brand is launching a series of collectible, limited releases that are numbered and named after a character, weapon or location in a larger, serialized story typical of how a D&D inspired adventure might unfold.
The greater saga, known as Dawn of the Unbound Gods, is being penned by Kate Welch, a well-known dungeon master and game designer.
For those more interested in the traditional whiskey details, what you need to know is Paladin is a “4+ year blend made up of 4, 6, and 7 year old bourbons…from Kentucky and Indiana” that’s been put together by Find Familiar’s ” Master Blender/Alchemist” Ale Ochoa. Ochoa, who developed the recipes, previously served as the Whiskey Scientist for TX Whiskey.
Bottled at 100 proof, two batches of Paladin have already come and gone from the brand, selling out quickly through a direct to consumer sales operation. Plans call for new releases tied to other game elements to come to market every three months or so, until such time as the entire story has been told. Speaking of which, accompanying each release will be a booklet that tells its part of the story as relates to the whiskey at hand.
As for Paladin, which prices at $149.99, official tasting notes make mention of “vanilla and fruit in keeping with the aims of a Paladin, with an undercurrent of spice to reflect her fighting spirit.”
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Tasting Notes: Quest’s End Whiskey Paladin
Appearance: A lighter golden amber, like what the light from a paladin’s magic might look like as she casts a spell. The legs on this run long and deep.
Nose: Very light and ethereal, like what I imagine the smell of elven bread to be, with barely there hints of vanilla and oak. There’s also a bit of a nutmeg smell, however, which seems a bit out of sorts.
Palate: Very gentle, very easy, opening up like a treasure chest into some flavor characteristics of vanilla, oak, bright spices, floral considerations and a tiny hint of caramel. The finish, however, is not pleasant, like rolling a 1 on a d20, leaving a lingering, unbalanced mix of sweet and spice that takes too long to go away.
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