MASTERS OF WHISKEY SERIES BLACKENED X WES HENDERSON

BLACKENED X WES HENDERSON

A Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in White Port Wine Casks

The second release in the BLACKENED® Masters of Whiskey Series, BLACKENED x Wes Henderson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Wine Port Wine Casks is the collaboration of Master Distillers Rob Dietrich of BLACKENED® and Wes Henderson, Co-Founder of Angel’s Envy. Crafted from a 6-year old Kentucky straight bourbon and finished in white port wine casks, bottled at cask strength and non-chill filtered.

TASTING NOTES

Nose – pear, raisin, cinnamon, and cigar box
Palate – pear, honey, chipotle cinnamon, vanilla, barn hay, and walnut
Finish – beautiful, long viscous finish

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AT THESE RETAILERS:

THE STORY

The “Masters of Whiskey Series” was born from the core tenet of BLACKENED® American Whiskey and Metallica…collaboration. This series combines the strengths of Master Distiller and Blender Rob Dietrich and renowned whiskey makers to re-imagine craft whiskey and create more complex expressions. Each of these limited edition whiskies are finished to their own unique playlist which is blasted to the barrels using BLACKENED’s proprietary BLACK NOISE™ sonic enhancement process.

The inspiration for the collaboration came from BLACKENED’s late Master Distiller and whiskey luminary, Dave Pickerell who was a close friend of Wes Henderson. Representing several generations of Kentucky distilling provenance, Henderson was inducted into the Kentucky bourbon hall of fame, joining his father, Lincoln Henderson, as one of the few father/son inductees in the history of the industry.

TEAM RUBICON

With many connections to Kentucky, and with much of the region still recovering from 2021’s devastating tornadoes, Rob Dietrich and Wes Henderson felt it was of the utmost importance to help the community through this release. BLACKENED will donate $25,000 to Team Rubicon, a veteran-led, non-profit organization established in 2010 that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. Metallica and All Within My Hands will match this donation in kind, making the overall total donation $50,000. If you would like to make a donation to Team Rubicon, please visit their website at donate.teamrubiconusa.org.

BLACKENED x Wes Henderson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in White Port Wine Casks

This expression was finished to its own unique playlist which is blasted to the barrels using BLACKENED’s proprietary BLACK NOISE™ sonic enhancement process. During finishing, the whiskey undergoes a sonic enhancement process in which the finishing barrels are pummeled by the low hertz frequencies of Metallica’s music. The sound waves cause vibrations that shake the finishing barrels, causing greater interaction between the whiskey and the wood, extracting more flavors and color. This expression is bottled at cask strength and is non-chill filtered.

Kirk Hammett Talks Collaboration

“We don’t do anything halfway,” said Metallica’s lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett. “We partnered with our Co-Founder, the late, great, Dave Pickerell, to bring you our badass original blend - now helmed by the amazing Rob Dietrich, Willett Distillery to bring you an explosive rye, and Wes Henderson to create this outstanding bourbon. That’s the really cool thing about the ‘Masters of Whiskey Series’ - we build on our core idea of collaboration, getting to work with these insane Master Distillers and Blenders to innovate and bring new expressions to our fans and whiskey drinkers.”

Kirk Hammett - Metallica

A Note From Wes Henderson

“I didn’t think I’d be working on another whiskey so soon after my retirement, but I couldn’t pass this up,” said Wes Henderson, Co-Founder and former Chief Innovation Officer of Angel’s Envy. “As a close friend of Dave’s, I’ve been watching BLACKENED for a while now and have been impressed with Rob, the team, and with what they’ve created. It was an incredible experience getting to work closely with Rob, compare palates and use our respective skill sets in cask finishing to develop this flavor profile. We both have a very similar approach to whiskey - that it takes drinkers on a journey. I believe we accomplished that with this expression, and the fact we were able to tie-in a charity that’s serving the community of Western Kentucky, which is so near and dear to my heart, is amazing. I can’t wait for others to try it!”

Wes Henderson - Co-Founder of Angel’s Envy

A Note From Master Distiller & Blender, Rob Dietrich

“I love rye, so for the first release of the Masters of Whiskey Series, we created a cask-finished rye,” explained Rob Dietrich. “It was only natural that our next release should be a bourbon. But like everything we do, we couldn’t create just any bourbon; it needed to be uniquely different. To do that, we partnered with one of the most renowned names in the industry: Wes Henderson. It was a true honor getting to work with Wes and learn how our palates aligned together in the process. His close friendship with Dave Pickerell sparked some of the concepts we designed for this whiskey. We’ve created something truly special that I hope whiskey enthusiasts will enjoy as much as we did making it.”

Master Distiller & Blender Rob Dietrich - BLACKENED

BLACKENED X WES HENDERSON BATCH PLAYLIST

The 8-track playlist for the BLACK NOISE™ process was chosen by both Rob Dietrich and Wes Henderson.

The full playlist includes:
1. For Whom The Bell Tolls
2. No Remorse
3. King Nothing
4. The Unforgiven
5. Hit The Lights
6. Orion
7. The Day That Never Comes
8. Blackened 2020

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BLACKENED X WES HENDERSON Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in
White Port Wine Casks will be available soon. Stay tuned for more details!