![]() HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH DISTILLING IN THE FIRST PLACE? Video of The Limited Edition BLACKENED® BATCH 100 Whiskey & Vinyl Box Set A respected pioneer in the distilling world, Pickerell (who passed away in November 2018) famously devised the concept of sonically enhancing Blackened through a process called "Black Noise," in which barrels of the whiskey are blasted with specially-curated playlists of Metallica's music. Dietrich joined the Metallica family in June 2019, stepping into the role established by his late predecessor, Blackened co-founder Dave Pickerell. Nearly 35 years later, Dietrich has found his dream gig as the Master Distiller of Blackened American Whiskey, Metallica's gold medal award-winning brand of premium whiskey. "My dad had an amazing vinyl collection, with stuff like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, but this was the first time I'd heard something and thought, 'This is my music!'" And I remember seeing the cover of the tape for the first time, and thinking, 'Wow, this is some scary shit!'" He laughs. "I was at my buddy's house, and he said, 'Man, you gotta hear this!' He put a cassette of Master of Puppets in the boom box, and I was like, 'Wow!!!' I was completely floored. ![]() ![]() Expect a long and smooth finish with slightly creamy hints of butterscotch taffy, maple and honey.Rob Dietrich still vividly remembers the very first time he heard Metallica. “The flavor of Blackened builds with notes of honey, cinnamon, allspice, clove and mint, with unexpected hints of apricot lingering underneath. Burnt caramel, oak and honey are present on the nose and moderate hints of spice upon first sip. Being thrashed by the Black Noise sonic enhancement process helps give the spirit a warm, honey-amber hue. You’ll find the playlist for this batch below, and as for official tasting notes, it is said by the brand that “inside black brandy barrels, the liquid is bathed in low hertz sound waves so intense that it actually intensifies the molecular interaction of the whiskey with the wood and, ultimately, the finish. Also included in it is “iconic imagery of the band and Dietrich captured by legendary photographer Danny Clinch, with behind-the-scenes glimpses of Metallica’s HQ and rehearsal space.”īlackened American Whiskey Batch 100 is pricing around $150. The Blackened Zine, meanwhile, offers commentary from Dietrich and Ulrich on the batch 100 playlist. “And he even tapped the Helping Hands album, so it’s clear he is not a part-timer!” I love seeing both the Binge & Purge and Through the Never eras represented. I love the variety and I love that he’s gone for two deeper live tracks from the Damaged Justice tour. ![]() “When I look at Rob’s playlist,” added Ulrich, “I love the selections. Music and distilling are two things I have dedicated my life to, and I do not take for granted how rare it is to be able to blend, literally, these worlds.” “I am honored to have the opportunity to be able to create a whiskey and pour so much of myself personally into the process. It was one of our anthems, and the energy of the crowd in this live version is incredible. “‘Nothing Else Matters’ is an acoustic version from the band’s first Helping Hands Benefit Show that James (Hetfield – Metallica co-founder, guitarist and vocalist) verbally dedicated to Blackened’s founding Master Distiller, Dave Pickerell just days after his passing. ‘One’ is a song we listened to over and over again when I was deployed to Somalia during Operation Restore Hope and Operation Continue Hope. “I wanted to add live versions to show the connection of the fans to the music, to the band, and to the whiskey,” said Dietrich in a prepared statement. For batch 100 it was instead selected by the brand’s master distiller and blender Rob Dietrich, who took over after Pickerell passed away, and curated “by Metallica co-founder Lars Ulrich, which resulted in an eclectic mix of rare, live and studio recordings from various albums across the band’s incomparable career.” The playlist referenced above is something common to the production process of Blackened, in that each batch of this whiskey is normally exposed to a playlist created by the band members themselves. ![]() Blackened American Whiskey Batch 100 (image via Sweet Amber Distilling) ![]()
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