I’m extremely excited by what we’ve accomplished, and I hope our fans and the whiskey enthusiasts of the world will enjoy this whiskey as much as Drew and I have!” Our connections to Dave brought everything full circle, and when I was working with Drew and the Kulsveens, it was almost like being welcomed back. I couldn’t be more honored to work with Drew and the great team at Willett Distillery. “I wanted the first expression in the series to be a rye, and as a huge fan of Willett and everything they produce, I felt it was the obvious first choice. “We couldn’t think of a more impactful first release for the series than a collaboration with Willett Distillery,” said Dietrich. The band received a first-hand look at Willett’s production, christened the distillery’s new restaurant with a delectable meal, and bonded with the Kulsveens over fine cigars. Metallica met the Kulsveens and the distillery team when the band was in Louisville for its WorldWired tour. It was then that Dave introduced the Blackened team to the Kulsveens, setting the foundation for this collaboration. When Blackened was looking for a location to shoot its brand video, the Kulsveens graciously lent their distillery. In 2011, when the Kulsveens were looking to bring the Willett Distillery back online, Dave lent his insights and helped with logistics to get the distillery up and running. He had been a longtime friend of the Kulsveen family and bonded with them over a shared passion of whiskey making. Known as the “Johnny Appleseed” of craft distilling, Pickerell used his expertise to help dozens of entrepreneurs start or restart small craft distilleries, one of which was Willett Distillery. Both brands were profoundly impacted by late Master Distiller and whiskey luminary Dave Pickerell. While the Masters of Whiskey Series’ is part of Blackened’s future, the collaboration between Dietrich and Kulsveen also provides an homage to the past. The 11-track playlist for the Black Noise process was chosen by both Rob Dietrich and Drew Kulsveen and sequenced by Metallica Co-founder and Drummer, Lars Ulrich. The sound waves visibly shake the finishing barrels, causing a greater interaction between the whiskey and the wood, thereby extracting more flavors and colors. The expression is bottled at cask strength.ĭuring finishing, the whiskey undergoes the proprietary Black Noise sonic enhancement process in which the finishing barrels are pummeled by the low hertz frequencies of Metallica’s music. The casks impart subtle dark fruit notes, overtones of honey, and slightly sweeter flavors of caramel and cinnamon that pair perfectly with the spicier notes of the rye. The palate delivers flavors of buttery caramel, earthy mint, and fresh-cut hay, rolling into a finish with vanilla, cinnamon butter, and dark walnut.Īfter the rye whiskeys are married together, they are finished in Madeira casks for up to 14 weeks. Aged for an average of 6.5 years in white American oak casks, the whiskey graces the nose with hints of sweet rhubarb, brown sugar, corn husk, cigar box, and vanilla. The two tasted and experimented with a number of whiskeys before landing on the recipes that would be used in the final blend. The Blackened x Willett Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Madeira Casks starts with a base of low rye and high rye whiskey recipes that were hand-picked by Dietrich and Kulsveen from the Willett Family Estate Reserve Selection. This series will combine strengths of Master Distiller and Blender Dietrich and renowned whiskey makers to re-imagine craft whiskey and create more complex expressions. It’s this core tenet of collaboration behind the Masters of Whiskey Series – a convergence of passionate master craftsmen who combine their talent and skills to create a distinctive expression. The expression is a result of the collaboration between Rob Dietrich of Blackened and Drew Kulsveen of Willett Distillery.īlackened was born from a collaboration between legendary Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and Metallica. Metallica spirits brand Blackened American Whiskey has unveiled its new Masters of Whiskey Series with its inaugural release, Blackened x Willett Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Madeira Casks.
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