Masters Of Whiskey Series

BLACKENED
X WILLETT

KENTUCKY STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY FINISHED IN MADEIRA CASKS

The BLACKENED x Willett Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey was the inaugural release in this series. It starts with a base of low rye and high rye whiskey recipes that were hand-picked by BLACKENED Master Distiller & Blender, Rob Dietrich and Willett Distillery’s Master Distiller, Drew Kulsveen, from the Willett Family Estate Reserve Selection. The straight rye whiskey is finished in Madeira casks, adding a layer of nuanced complexity. To extract even more flavor, the whiskey was applied with the proprietary BLACK NOISE™ sonic-enhancement process during the finishing phase. This expression features whiskey that is an average age of 6 and a ½ years, and is bottled at cask strength, and non-chill filtered.

TASTING NOTES
Nose – Sweet rhubarb, brown sugar, corn husk, cigar box & vanilla
Palate – Buttery caramel, earthy mint & fresh-cut hay
Finish – Vanilla, cinnamon butter & dark walnut

54.8% ABV | 109.6 PROOF

THE STORY

Created By Masters Of Their Craft

Like all great whiskies, this collaboration took years to come to fruition. BLACKENED’s founding partner and late Master Distiller Dave Pickerell was a longtime friend of the Kulsveen family. As part of the same small circle of elite Kentucky distillers, they bonded over their shared passion for whiskey making. In 2011, when the Kulsveens were working to bring the Willett Distillery back online, Dave pitched in some of his technical knowhow to assist. In early 2018, when BLACKENED was scouting locations for a brand video, the Kulsveens, as a testament to their friendship, graciously offered the distillery as the setting to capture footage of Dave in his element. It was then that Dave introduced the BLACKENED team to the Willett Distillery team and the friendship began. The following year, while Metallica was in Louisville for their WorldWired Tour, the family welcomed the band to Bardstown, giving them a first-hand look behind the curtain of the distillery, christening their new restaurant with a lavish meal, and bonding over fine cigars. The rest, as they say, is history.

“The original idea with BLACKENED was to create something new, exciting, and unique that connected with both our fans and whiskey enthusiasts — something that stood on its own and was hopefully respected. The next step was to expand on BLACKENED’s foundation, to push the possibilities of the marriage of music and whiskey even further. When we visited Willett Distillery in 2019 and saw the passion and craftsmanship that goes into every drop they produce, we knew we had found kindred spirits. Teaming up with the Kulsveen family to kick off the Master… Series with Willett was the natural next step in BLACKENED’s evolution.”
Lars Ulrich – Metallica