Josh-Goldman
Reviewed
April 16, 2019 (edited October 5, 2020)
Produced and bottled in Oxnard, California at Sespe Creek Distillery by David Brandt, PhD. who was developing diabetes and cancer drugs and groundbreaking disease-testing techniques before turning his attentions to distilling. The Warbringer is not a subtle whiskey, this bourbon brings the smoke to the campfire. It is expertly crafted with a mash bill of 75% hand-roasted, mesquite-smoked corn and malted rye with a taste that is deep and smoky that ends with hints of pine, honey, cresol and burnt sugar. Exploding with banana and campfire, tempered by a vanilla creaminess with a long, herbaceous finish that is not as smoky as it smells. The Warbringer is a true expression of the Southwest, if you love BBQ and whiskey, this is your perfect dram. It’s a balanced and interesting whiskey that is helping to define a new category. The mesquite-smoked bourbon holds up neat and also makes for an adventurous twist on cocktails.