The BLACKENED x Wes Henderson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in White Port Wine Casks is the second release of BLACKENED’s Masters of Whiskey Series, which was created in partnership with BLACKENED’s Master Distiller & Blender, Rob Dietrich, and recently retired Angel’s Envy Co-Founder, Wes Henderson. The Masters of Whiskey Series combines strengths of Master Distiller and Blender Rob Dietrich and renowned whiskey makers to re-imagine craft whiskey and create more complex expressions. This limited-edition expression is crafted from a 6-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon and finished in white port wine casks, bottled at cask strength, and non-chill filtered. 

TASTING NOTES
Nose – pear, raisin, cinnamon, and cigar box
Palate – pear, honey, chipotle cinnamon, vanilla, barn hay, and walnut
Finish – Beautiful, long viscous finish
58.1% Alc./116.2 PROOF


This limited expression has its own unique playlist which is blasted to the barrels using BLACKENED’s proprietary BLACK NOISETM sonic enhancement process. During this process, the finishing barrels are pummeled by the low hertz frequencies of Metallica’s music, with the sound waves causing vibrations. The shaking of the barrels creates a greater interaction between the whiskey and the wood, extracting more flavors and color.

The inspiration for the collaboration came from BLACKENED’s late Master Distiller and whiskey luminary, Dave Pickerell, who was a close friend of Wes Henderson. Representing several generations of Kentucky distilling provenance, Henderson was inducted into the Kentucky bourbon hall of fame, joining his father, Lincoln Henderson, as one of the few father/son inductees in the history of the industry. 

Given so many connections to Kentucky, and as much of the region is still recovering from 2021’s devastating tornadoes, the team at BLACKENED, Rob Dietrich, and Wes Henderson felt it was of the utmost importance to help the community through this release. With Dietrich a veteran of the 10th Mountain Division and Henderson a first responder and death coroner, BLACKENED reached out to Metallica’s nonprofit All Within My Hands Foundation for suggestions on organizations who serve Kentucky and who align with their values and goals. They were introduced to Team Rubicon, a veteran-led, non-profit organization that serves global communities before, during and after disasters and crises. 

To support the team and specifically the rebuild efforts in Western Kentucky, BLACKENED will donate $25,000 to Team Rubicon. Metallica and All Within My Hands will match this donation in kind, making the overall total donation $50,000. If you would like to learn more or to make a donation to Team Rubicon, we encourage you to please visit their website at donate.teamrubiconusa.org.