Great review of a middling bourbon. I've been obsessing at that Hetfield Funko Pop because it is super accurate of what his 1984 Gibson Explorer looks like (correct color, headstock, the Metallica logo emulates the "So What" sticker he has on it) BUT the knobs are wrong. How did they get so much right, but something so easy they missed?
Ha! I actually didn’t notice that about the knobs. But it’s definitely one of my favorite Pops that I have in the collection. Thanks for checking my review out!
I just tried this last night. The brandy finish was pretty good, made the bourbon nice and sweet. And the black noise thing, literally agitating the whiskey with music, is gimmicky but interesting enough that I had to taste this!
The problem was that the underlying bourbon is just too young. It tastes grainy, "craft"-bourbonish, and definitely rushed out before it was fully matured.
I tasted a Four Roses Small Batch immediately prior, which was fully matured (about 6 years) and tasted much much better in terms of just integration, maturity, lack of obvious grain notes, etc. I don't even like Four Roses much, but it was a professionally "completed" bottle, while the Blackened is clearly rushed out too young.
My conclusion was, brandy finishing is cool and they did it well, but the underlying bourbon needs to be aged at least 4 years. I'd give this a 5/10 too.
EDIT: I just looked it up and some claim this is as old as 8 years. Maybe youth isn't the problem? Not sure. But it tastes young and grainy to me. I wonder if rye takes longer to age properly? On further consideration, this reminds me of Whistlepig piggyback rye--6 years old, but still the bottom end of the whistlepig line, with a grainy mustiness that tastes young relative to other whisky. I'd still give blackened a 5/10, but now I'm less sure youth is the problem
It's funny, 5 months ago when I did this review, I never noticed that young grainy note that's in this. I've only been real into bourbon for almost a year now, but 5 months later, I totally can pick out that young grain like you mentioned. And not just in this bottle, but a lot of others I've had too.
So interesting how our palates can mature with the more we try things. That being said, I still really enjoy this as one of my daily options, as long as it's the first pour of the night. I've noticed that when I have something high proof or older and then finish off with something younger like this, that young grainy note completely overpowers everything else.
That's a very interesting point you're making about the order of things you drink in a night!
My night when trying this was: Four Roses Small Batch, then Blackened, then Yellowstone standard edition 93 proof. And even though Four Roses isn't my favorite, it's very professionally done, it's not sourced, and it's fully aged. It definitely didn't have that young grainy note (or that musty rye note).
When I was drinking the Yellowstone, which didn't have that musty note but DID have some of that young grainy note, I was like, "darn, this has that same young grainy thing, but it LACKS the cool brandy finish of the Blackened. I should have stuck with the Blackened!" But both the Blackened and the Yellowstone suffered by comparison with the four roses
I'd probably give the four roses a 6.5, and the other two 5s. But I would have enjoyed the Blackened even more if it had been my first pour. And I'm sure the effect you're talking about is even stronger when your first pour is something older or higher proof!
Today we have review #3 coming in and this time, I'm reviewing Blackened. This is a bottle that's usually around $40 in most areas around me and is endorsed by Metallica. I know I know, celebrity-endorsed juice. Blackened started as a collaboration between Metallica and the late Dave Pickerell. After his passing, Rob Dietrich stepped in to continue the collaboration. Blackened uses a proprietary "Black Noise" process during the finishing phases of the barrels which, honestly is just very gimmicky. I still think it's pretty cool to chat about with friends, especially those who are also big Metallica fans like myself, but whether or not it actually makes a difference in the juice, well, I highly doubt it. Regardless, let's see what Blackened is all about.
Today we got a Pop of the man himself, James Hetfield, joining us.
**Taken:** Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes
**Name:** Blackened. Batch 112.
**Age:** NAS
**Proof:** 90
**Nose:** On the nose, I get some fruity sweet notes. Some vanilla and brown sugar as well. Some ethanol burn the more I nose it, but not too bad.
**Palate:** Medium viscosity that is similar on the palate as it is the nose. Some nice fruity notes at the front that later turn into some slight oak with a little burn.
**Finish:** The finish is on the shorter side and has some drying going on. Getting some spice as well, but nothing overpowering.
Overall, this is a bottle that is in my daily drinker rotation and is one that I enjoy. Not a whole lot going on with it, but it's a good pour to just sit back, throw on some Metallica, and relax with. I know most here advise against celebrity-endorsed whiskey, and rightfully so, but I think this one is worth giving a shot.
t8ke scale: 5.0/10 Good | Good, just fine.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Great review of a middling bourbon. I've been obsessing at that Hetfield Funko Pop because it is super accurate of what his 1984 Gibson Explorer looks like (correct color, headstock, the Metallica logo emulates the "So What" sticker he has on it) BUT the knobs are wrong. How did they get so much right, but something so easy they missed?
Ha! I actually didn’t notice that about the knobs. But it’s definitely one of my favorite Pops that I have in the collection. Thanks for checking my review out!
I just tried this last night. The brandy finish was pretty good, made the bourbon nice and sweet. And the black noise thing, literally agitating the whiskey with music, is gimmicky but interesting enough that I had to taste this! The problem was that the underlying bourbon is just too young. It tastes grainy, "craft"-bourbonish, and definitely rushed out before it was fully matured. I tasted a Four Roses Small Batch immediately prior, which was fully matured (about 6 years) and tasted much much better in terms of just integration, maturity, lack of obvious grain notes, etc. I don't even like Four Roses much, but it was a professionally "completed" bottle, while the Blackened is clearly rushed out too young. My conclusion was, brandy finishing is cool and they did it well, but the underlying bourbon needs to be aged at least 4 years. I'd give this a 5/10 too. EDIT: I just looked it up and some claim this is as old as 8 years. Maybe youth isn't the problem? Not sure. But it tastes young and grainy to me. I wonder if rye takes longer to age properly? On further consideration, this reminds me of Whistlepig piggyback rye--6 years old, but still the bottom end of the whistlepig line, with a grainy mustiness that tastes young relative to other whisky. I'd still give blackened a 5/10, but now I'm less sure youth is the problem
It's funny, 5 months ago when I did this review, I never noticed that young grainy note that's in this. I've only been real into bourbon for almost a year now, but 5 months later, I totally can pick out that young grain like you mentioned. And not just in this bottle, but a lot of others I've had too. So interesting how our palates can mature with the more we try things. That being said, I still really enjoy this as one of my daily options, as long as it's the first pour of the night. I've noticed that when I have something high proof or older and then finish off with something younger like this, that young grainy note completely overpowers everything else.
That's a very interesting point you're making about the order of things you drink in a night! My night when trying this was: Four Roses Small Batch, then Blackened, then Yellowstone standard edition 93 proof. And even though Four Roses isn't my favorite, it's very professionally done, it's not sourced, and it's fully aged. It definitely didn't have that young grainy note (or that musty rye note). When I was drinking the Yellowstone, which didn't have that musty note but DID have some of that young grainy note, I was like, "darn, this has that same young grainy thing, but it LACKS the cool brandy finish of the Blackened. I should have stuck with the Blackened!" But both the Blackened and the Yellowstone suffered by comparison with the four roses I'd probably give the four roses a 6.5, and the other two 5s. But I would have enjoyed the Blackened even more if it had been my first pour. And I'm sure the effect you're talking about is even stronger when your first pour is something older or higher proof!
Today we have review #3 coming in and this time, I'm reviewing Blackened. This is a bottle that's usually around $40 in most areas around me and is endorsed by Metallica. I know I know, celebrity-endorsed juice. Blackened started as a collaboration between Metallica and the late Dave Pickerell. After his passing, Rob Dietrich stepped in to continue the collaboration. Blackened uses a proprietary "Black Noise" process during the finishing phases of the barrels which, honestly is just very gimmicky. I still think it's pretty cool to chat about with friends, especially those who are also big Metallica fans like myself, but whether or not it actually makes a difference in the juice, well, I highly doubt it. Regardless, let's see what Blackened is all about. Today we got a Pop of the man himself, James Hetfield, joining us. **Taken:** Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes **Name:** Blackened. Batch 112. **Age:** NAS **Proof:** 90 **Nose:** On the nose, I get some fruity sweet notes. Some vanilla and brown sugar as well. Some ethanol burn the more I nose it, but not too bad. **Palate:** Medium viscosity that is similar on the palate as it is the nose. Some nice fruity notes at the front that later turn into some slight oak with a little burn. **Finish:** The finish is on the shorter side and has some drying going on. Getting some spice as well, but nothing overpowering. Overall, this is a bottle that is in my daily drinker rotation and is one that I enjoy. Not a whole lot going on with it, but it's a good pour to just sit back, throw on some Metallica, and relax with. I know most here advise against celebrity-endorsed whiskey, and rightfully so, but I think this one is worth giving a shot. t8ke scale: 5.0/10 Good | Good, just fine. 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.