Metallica has dominated the world of heavy metal music for nearly four decades, thrilling fans and packing stadiums all around the world with their blend of hard rock music. Now, the band is branching out with a new kind of blend: Metallica’s own Blackened Whiskey.
Created by the band in collaboration with the late, great spirits visionary, Dave Pickerell, Blackened Whiskey is a reflection of shared the drive, dedication and fire that has fueled Metallica for decades and made Pickerell a legend in his own right. The whiskey blends together a selection of bourbons, ryes and whiskeys, hand-selected by Pickerell, which are finished in brandy barrels and enhanced by a proprietary process known as “Black Noise.”
Black Noise 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, according to the band’s website. The process causes movement in the barrel and interaction between the liquid and the wood, facilitating a deeper penetration of the spirit into the barrel, which imparts greater character and flavors such as clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as a variety of aromas like vanilla and caramel.
The entire process may sound as punishing as a 26-city tour, but the resulting whiskey is a smooth, warm, honey-amber colored delight, with hints of burnt caramel, oak and honey on the nose, and delicious spice upon first taste. Blackened builds in the mouth with a taste of honey, cinnamon, allspice, clove and mint, with an unexpected apricot flavor lingering underneath. Blackened finishes smooth, with slightly creamy hints of butterscotch taffy, maple and honey.
In an interview with
Esquire before his sudden passing, Pickerell said of Blackened, “You can taste the music.”
Drummer and co-founder of Metallica, Lars Ulrich, said in the same piece, “I love it,” adding “It's given me a new relationship with whiskey.” He also addressed the death of Pickerell, and the need for the project to continue. “I think that in the same way ... when we lost Cliff, our bass player, in 1986, it felt like that the path to honor his legacy was to move forward,” he said.
Blackened is currently available in numbered batches, beginning with Batch 081 (named for the band’s founding in 1981) and continuing through 088. Talk to your Breakthru Sales Consultant about adding Blackened to your lineup.