Blackened Rye The Lightning Double Cask Finished Rye Whiskey

45% ABV (90 Proof), 750 ml, Finished in Madeira & Caribbean Rum Cask

Number 14 on The Whiskey Advocate's Top 20 list of 2022

"This whiskey, a spring 2022 release from Metallica and master distiller and blender Rob Dietrich, hits hard up front with an herbal and spicy nose. Fennel, anise cookies, and dank grains give way to dandelion and sweet grapes when water is added. The palate is crisp and spicy, showing great balance between the whiskey itself and the cask finishing. Lightning strikes again on the finish, which is extremely long and ties the entire sip together. More spice, more fruit, just more. —Shane English"

Blackened Kentucky Straight Rye Double Cask Finished Whiskey, aptly dubbed Rye The Lightning™, is the latest limited release from Blackened American Whiskey. Inspired by Metallica’s 6x platinum sophomore album, Ride the Lightning, this expression was double cask finished to its own unique playlist which is blasted to the barrels using Blackened’s proprietary Black Noice™ sonic enhancement process.

Rye The Lightning™ is crafted from Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskeys aged between five and eight years and hand-selected by Blackened Master Distiller & Blender Rob Dietrich. The whiskeys are then vatted and transferred for finishing in Madeira wine and Caribbean rum casks for up to 14 weeks. The double cask finish delivers notes of dried fig, hay, pinewood, pear, and rum cake on the nose, with clover honey, mint, corn husk, sugar cane, walnut, and cinnamon on the palate. 

PLAYLIST

Rob Dietrich and Metallica chose the Ride the Lightning album for the Black Noice™ sonic-enhancement process and decided to take things up a notch by selecting a playlist of live tracks from the 2012 Orion Music + More festival setlist. This was the ONLY time the band ever played the album live in its entirety, albeit in reverse track order from the original album.

“We've used a few live songs in our playlists before, but never an entire live playlist. So to incorporate our fans in the Blackened journey and having them be a part of the whiskey-making process is unique and makes this a true collaboration.” – Robert Trujillo of Metallica