The first in Blackened’s collaborative Masters of Whiskey series. Pronounced cinnamon on the nose, with apple pie, candied berries, babka, cranberries, and fruitcake. There’s more fruit and spice on the palate in the form of cinnamon Red Hots and candy apples, alongside spiced chocolate, bitter coffee, and pepper. The finish has long-lasting flavors of cocoa powder, blackberry cobbler, and additional spice. The big body benefits from some water.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

Grain-forward on the nose, like a grain barn, with lots of robust spice. Water softens it and brings out notes of candied grape. The clean, smooth palate is balanced with fruit, good depth, and plenty of spice. Water unlocks pleasant bitter chocolate and enhances the rye grain flavors. The finish is superbly long, with more spice, grape jelly, chocolate, and coffee ice cream. The cask finishing works superbly—a real winner. Editor's Choice

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2022)

Metallica’s standard Blackened with the proof turned up to 11. The nose is nutty and sweet with pralines, caramel corn, brown-sugar butter, and vanilla-almond ice cream. There’s more spice on the palate, with Red Hots, toasted nuts and oak, candy apple, and pepper. The finish is rich and warming, carrying over many of the spices. Water elongates and opens the palate. This demonstrates excellent consistency from nose to finish and quality development over time.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Spring 2021)

A blend of straight whiskeys that’s finished in brandy casks using proprietary “sonic enhancement.” Sweet vanilla, lemon cream pie, spiced apricots, ginger, cracked corn, and licorice start off the nose, balanced against a soft influence of new oak. The palate is sweet and well-textured, with notes of spice, candied apple, cooked plums, chocolate nuttiness, and a fair amount of barrel influence. There’s some good length on the finish, which offers sweet flavors of light chocolate, along with lingering spice and layered oak.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2020)

A collaboration between the late Dave Pickerell and metal group Metallica, this sourced straight whiskey blend was finished in so-called “black brandy barrels” for several weeks to the sound of Metallica’s music—a method aimed at enhancing the aging process. Dusty oak, potpourri, leather, licorice, vanilla, and caramel, along with banana, raisins, and plums on the palate. Bitter chocolate and spicy heat punctuate the finish, with a light citrus note.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2019)