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Metallica surprised fans last year when the group released a stripped down version of their song, “Blackened,” off their 1988 album, …And Justice for All. Filmed while the band members were in quarantine, and edited together for YouTube, the clip helped tie fans over while they wait for a new album.
But the at-home performance also helped to promote Metallica’s popular side project — a well-received whiskey release named after the song.
Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey was first introduced a few years ago as a super limited-edition release, but it’s now available for purchase online at ReserveBar ($42, for a 750ml bottle).
Inspired by the song, “Blackened,” and the great American whiskey-making tradition, BLACKENED is a collaboration between Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and Metallica. The premium whiskey uses a blend of hand-selected, well-aged bourbons and ryes, that are then uniquely finished in black brandy casks. The distillery says the whiskey blend is aged for at least eight years. The finishing touch: the casks are then blasted with a custom Metallica playlist, specially selected and arranged by the band themselves.
Pickerell and his team called this a “BlackNoise” finishing process, stating that “the low frequency sound waves force the whiskey to penetrate deeper into the barrel, extracting more caramel, honey and vanilla flavors from the wood.” As you can imagine, the music has to hit a certain volume and frequency range for the desired effect to take place. The result: a bold yet balanced whiskey, that’s rich in flavor yet smooth enough to sip neat or on the rocks.
Aside from the burnt caramel, oak and honey on the nose, tasting notes of Metallica’s BLACKENED whiskey include hints of cinnamon, allspice, dark fruit, clove and mint, with a finish of butterscotch taffy and maple.
Every batch of BLACKENED will come with an accompanying playlist curated by Metallica and available to listen to at blackenedwhiskey.com.
While it was sold out during its original run, you can now buy Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey online at ReserveBar.com. And while Metallica has been the winner of eight Grammy awards to date, the band’s whiskey just took home a new accolade as well: BLACKENED Whiskey was awarded a Gold Medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020.
Find out more about Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey and order a bottle for delivery at ReserveBar.com.
