Blackened

Originally launched in 2018 as a collaboration between Metallica and Master Distiller and blender Dave Pickerell, who was considered one of the founding fathers of modern Bourbon, having spent many years at Maker's Mark. Sadly Dave died shortly after the launch at the age of 62, to be replaced with Rob Dietrich, previously Master Distiller/Blender at Stranahan's in Colorado.

The 'standard' Blackened whiskey is a blending of spirits sourced from various distilleries that are married in 'black brandy' barrels - a term coined by Pickerell which are actually Spanish brandy casks. To increase the motion of the whiskey inside the barrels, increasing the interaction between spirit and wood, the barrels are subject to a process dubbed 'Black Noise' - basically Metallica and other metal songs are played at a low frequency to the barrels with the sound waves generating motion.

Rye The Lightning - a play on the title of their epic second album - features whiskies finished in either Madeira or Rum casks. The 'standard' Blackened bottling is sweet as it is, but this goes even more into the dessert-y type of whiskey. I love it, but then again I like sweet whiskies and there's a good chance some drinkers who prefer spirits on the drier or spicier side will find this almost syrupy. However, this is incredibly easy to drink, makes a great Old Fashioned and is perfect for sharing with fellow metalheads!