Ever liked a song so much you just want to turn it into a cocktail and drink it? Now you can, with Metallica’s new batch of Blackened American Whiskey. The brand recently teamed up with Drew Kulsveen of Kentucky’s Willett Distillery; with them, they created a batch of whiskey “pummeled by the low-hertz frequencies of Metallica’s music.”
The newest batch is part of the recent Masters of Whiskey series; Blackened American Whiskey master distiller Rob Dietrich will collaborate with renowned whiskey makers. The collab with Willett has gone through the brand’s signature “Black Noise” enhancement process; this infused the whiskey with the sound waves of 11 classic Metallica tracks, according to Guitar World.
The Black Noise sonic enhancement aims to improve the flavor profile of the whiskey; as reported by Guitar World, “sound waves visibly shake the finishing barrels, causing a greater interaction between the whiskey and the wood, thereby extracting more flavors and colors.”
Metallica’s Plan for Blackened American Whiskey
“The original idea with Blackened was to create something new, exciting, and unique that connected with both our fans and whiskey enthusiasts,” said Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, “something that stood on its own and was hopefully respected.”
Ulrich went on to explain the next steps for Blackened Whiskey; he stated that they wanted to “expand on Blackened’s foundation, to push the possibilities of the marriage of music and whiskey even further.”
The Blackened American Whiskey website expands on their mission; they aim to be “a testament to the creative process, to the hard work and determination required to make something from nothing”. It hails itself as “a monument to the ones who charge into the fray and come out the other side stronger, together”. The Blackened brand strives to be a physical representation of the bond between Metallica and their fans.
The brand started as a collaboration between Metallica and master distiller Dave Pickerell. After Pickerell’s passing in 2018, Rob Dietrich joined Blackened as master distiller and blender. The brand still uses Pickerell’s original whiskey blend, which Dietrich inherited as its guardian. He mans the helm of Blackened American Whiskey as not only the distiller but also the steward of the brand.
The Whiskey Setlist
On Blackened Whiskey’s website, fans can listen to a curated playlist for each batch of whiskey made. Metallica band members choose the playlists; they’re then used to sonically enhance the whiskey. For example, batch 81 was enhanced by songs like “Eye of the Beholder”, “Cyanide”, and “I Disappear.”
The Willett collaboration playlist is as follows: “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Master of Puppets”, “King Nothing”, “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”, “Dyers Eve”, “Broken, Beat, & Scarred”, “The Thing that Should Not Be”, “Atlas, Rise!”, “Of Wolf and Man”, “One”, and “Enter Sandman”.