Blackened American Whiskey by Metallica
A COLLISION OF AGE OLD WHISKEY MAKING & MODERN SOUND ENGINEERING
If your whiskey company is owned by Metallica, you might expect it to be a bit edgy. You would be right. Most notably, its heritage – the beverage spends some time in Black Brandy Casks where it is bombarded by a caucaophony of sound – naturally a selection of Metallica tunes, heavy on the sub.
What is THAT supposed to do? From Blackened:
After the whiskeys have been combined in the black brandy casks for finishing, they’re jolted back to life by the unmistakable, earth-shattering music of Metallica. Using our proprietary sonic-enhancement system BLACK NOISE™, the whiskey is pummeled by sound, causing it to seep deeper into the barrel, where it picks up additional wood flavor characteristics.
The creators of BLACKENED™ set out to craft a whiskey that brings the uniqueness of the collaborators together in a bottle. A whiskey unlike any other in the world. A whiskey born of innovation.
From the time Dave was a cadet at West Point, he was fascinated with the effects of sound—the way an organ can play a note that shakes an entire building. As he honed his craft over the years, the thought of what sound could do to whiskey at a molecular level stayed with him.
As it so happened, Metallica and Meyer Sound innovated a subwoofer employing that same range, harnessing the vibrations that make a Metallica concert the resonant, visceral experience their fans know and love.
The convergence of these ambitions have resulted in a sonic-enhancement method that utilizes a variation of the band’s song determined frequencies to disrupt the whiskey inside the barrel, causing increased wood interaction that kicks up the wood-flavor characteristics in the whiskey. We call this proprietary sonic-enhancement process BLACK NOISE™.
WHAT IS SONIC-ENHANCEMENT?
Sonic-enhancement is the process of using certain sound waves to affect the spirit inside the barrel. When applied properly, the sound waves actually cause movement of the barrel and the liquid inside. This movement increases the interaction between the liquid and the barrel, resulting in a deeper penetration of the spirit into the wood. Whiskey gains a great deal of character from the barrel, with flavors such as clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as a variety of aromas like vanilla and caramel. Sonic enhancement kicks these characteristics up a notch or two, depending on the sound waves being deployed.
BLACKENED™ is a collaborative effort between Metallica and Master Distiller Dave Pickerell (Makers Mark / WhistlePig).From the time Dave was a cadet at West Point, he was fascinated with the effects of sound—the way an organ can play a note that shakes an entire building. As he honed his craft over the years, the thought of what sound could do to whiskey at a molecular level stayed with him.
But when Dave died of a heart attack, Master Distiller Rob Dietrich who had spent his life fighting Somali warlords, managing rock concerts, wrenching on vintage motorcycles and distilling whiskey was handed the baton.
Like his predessesor, Rob selects the bourbons and ryes that are blended into those barrel cum concert halls to be serenaded unto maturity. As a matter of fact, you can select your batch by the playlist if you are a fan – check here.
Blackened retails for about $43 and in these hard times, can be ordered online
