Blackened Cask Strength Volume 04

Always fun to see another release from this brand, even if the brand itself seems to be turning into more of a ghost with each passing release. This time around, I couldn't find a distilling location, but found 2 different bottling locations. On top of that, I barely found the Black Noise playlist (that historically has been released for every batch on Blackened's website), opting for a less-than-official looking Spotify playlist of a few recycled songs. Still, as always, the harsh riffs from one of the greatest metal bands in the world (playing loudly in the background on this beautiful Metal Monday) help to excite me further for my first cask strength treatment of the original American whiskey blend that started it all. It's also nice to see that the MSRP was very affordable for this market, with my particular store always having to get something more, and charging $1 more than said MSRP in this case. The color is an almost vibrant burnt sienna/orange/brown, but lighter than expected for a more potent cask strength at this ABV. Then again, this brand never really was a fan for releasing age statements (as is unfortunately too common in today's whiskey world), so the lighter hue could be a result of a young spirit. The nose starts off quite sweet, with notes of caramel, nouget, and slight milk chocolate, before bringing in some lighter notes of florality, citrus zest, and a touch of mixed berries. The proof comes around for a slight burn after a few more whiffs, but also brings along some classic cracked cinnamon notes found in a proper rye whiskey. The body is initially quite light, but the caramel and nouget from before are the first to make an appearance. The heat is cranked up pretty quick, with some spicy cinnamon and chocolate battling it out amongst the now hot palate. The brandy barrel has always been a nice choice for this blend, as it imparts both sweetness and a drier florality to the already well-blended mix of sweet bourbon and spicy rye. In this cask strength case, the brandy is a far more pronounced flavor, and takes the sweetness tasted up to this point and introduces some dryness (with a hint of raisin) and some light florality. The finish continues in this direction, with the proof still keeping things hot, but not much gum penetration here. Where the proofed down original Blackened is a delicious, fun, and unique American whiskey that is easy for beginners to dissect, this is the cliché "big brother" that gives acclimated enjoyers a chance to pull apart the more raw, aggressive notes. Think of it like Metallica's unedited, raw, unreleased, or demo tracks; for some it's not as easy to listen or connect to, but for others, it's a glimpse into a more real side of these musicians. For the price, it's not only a tasty buy, but it doesn't make me shy away from buying one of the other volumes and trying to compare the tasted differences. I don't believe we'll see any other big moves from this brand, though, since production and new products have already started to slow after the monstrous success has started to spill over; the one-time-only Metallica cigar creation shows the band is just throwing money at different avenues in order to find their next venture. Still, Blackened will always be the most unique finishing method ever seen on the market, whether you love or hate the music. The simple, not-so-deep tracks playing in the background while drinking this sort-of throwback whiskey says it all: Metallica and whiskey both show that even some of the new stuff can be winners, but there is always going to be a sweet spot for that old familiarity.