Defiant American Single Malt Whisky

Chocolate and graham cracker

Typical scotch notes with a fresh oak bite. Caramel, vanilla, oak and honey turn to more spice and bite from the youth of the wood used for aging. Like a richer Speyside flavor meets bourbon wood bite. A good change of pace dram for the single malt collector.

This was given to me as a gift. I’m not really a malt whiskey or Scotch drinker, I’m very much a Bourbon drinker, so keep that in mind. I will say the aging process, or lack there of, has made me a little apprehensive. But this was a gift, so here it goes. The nose has honey, fresh malt, slight bandaid note and a very strong notes of tequila. Not something that I enjoyed nosing. The palate is sweet with notes of honey, tequila and vanilla. The finish is short with a little lingering vanilla and a slight bitter aftertaste. Like I stated before, I don’t frequent this category of whiskey, but it didn’t even remind me much of scotch or other malt whiskies. It just tasted young and one dimensional and for some reason that dimension was tequila? I know this company is “defiant” in their approach to making whiskey, but it didn’t work for me. It reminds me of how a child defies their parents, but in this case their dad is Father Time and he can’t be fooled.

If you like bourbon. Don’t drink this.

Nose - brown sugar and rich maple syrup, some malt and hay notes as well Taste - very malt forward, damp grains and hay, some butter, cream, and light caramel, and bitter notes Finish - sweetness fades quickly leaving behind some slightly sour and bitter tannins