Blackened x Willett Madeira Cask Rye

So, lets get this bit out of the way first. Sonic aging, while there is potentially some merit, is largely viewed as a bit of a gimmick. But if you can look passed the gimmick of Metallica’s music being played for the barrels, you can find some cool whiskey.

This particular bottling is the first in Blackened’s Masters of Whiskey line and is in collaboration with Willett Distillery. It utilized barrels of Willett’s rye ranging in ages up to 8 years and lands at an average of 6.5 years old. The blend of ages then sits in Madeira casks for up to 14 weeks.

Sweet figs and raisins on the nose with a sweet orange peel and honey note with baking spice and dusty cherry wood and oak. 

The palate opens with rich rye dried fruit, spice, and bitter orange peel and evolves into a sweet raisinated, creamy madeira note and mouthfeel that continues through the finish and lingers for a long time. The linger is almost like the linger of a hearty madeira.

It’s really delicious and exciting whiskey. Is it worth 135+ dollars? No and yes, and yes and no. I think that the quality of the whiskey is top notch and the barreling is interesting as well as properly timed. Any longer in the Madeira casks and it wouldn’t have been as good. But it is certainly a little pricey. I wouldn’t be upset with spending the money on it, but I wouldn’t prioritize it over groceries for that week. It’s not “eat ramen for a bit” good. But if you can swing it, you should.

This was not a completely objective review as it was not done blind. I was aware of what I was drinking at the time of drinking it. A sample was given to me by a friend and was not provided by Blackened for review.