Jose-Massu-Espinel
Black Whiskey
Corn — Lima, Peru
Reviewed
November 4, 2022 (edited November 26, 2022)
Three weeks ago i woke up to 6 or 7 whatsapp messages all with the same web link, a Forbes article that said that a Whiskey from Perú, (yes a whiskey with an "e"), had won best whiskey if the world, planet, universe, etc.
Of course, my first thought was "here goes another award bought", and of course i was incredibly skeptic about it. The name of this Peruvian whiskey is Black Whiskey.
This one has been made using black corn, that grows on the peruvian mountains.
I managed to buy one online in a Miami store, even if Perú is our neighbor here in Ecuador, it was easier to find it there. I have seen some youtube videos where the owner, a United States of America citizen who lives in Perú, tells the story of how he had this conversation with a New York guy, who literally said "man you have to win an award to make your whiskey famous". Guess what, the whiskey then won. A little suspicious if you tell me...
Bottled at an auspicious 45%abv, it has a dark reddish color.
On the nose, it has a wonderful aroma. Cotton candy, it doesn't smell like grain whiskey at all. Maraschino cherries, red fruits and a spongy cake. Blackberries everywhere. With a couple of sips, the aroma became a maple syrup, it resembled a lot as a canadian Crown Royal whisky. Nice.
The palate started completely muted for 2 seconds. Then, it releases notes of sweet plums, quince and black pepper. It feels a little rough and young, but not bad. In the second sip i had the same experience of the muted flavors for a couple of seconds.
Aftertaste has the most classic bourbon finish ever. If i was blindfolded when tasting this one, out of the aftertaste alone i would have guess this one was Blackened whiskey by Metallica, or a Maker's Mark. Sour mash finish.
Overall, as you might already guessed, this is not the best whiskey in the world, despite what the San Francisco Spirits Competition 2022 says about it. But, i have to be honest, this is quite good for a mostly grain whiskey. I am not a fond fan of the "e" in the name, since i am a purist, and whiskey is for Ireland and U.S., but as a "Uisgebeatha" this is quite enjoyable. It feels like a bourbon from the start to the end, and my score for it, due to a not very good palate is an 83 over 100.
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@DrRHCMadden hahahah ;)
Hold up, Sir! Are you trying to say that whisky awards are non objective, a function of the payment to entry, and easily swayed by paid partnerships and the like?! Surely not, the whisky world will be in shock when this gets out!