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Humans have been distilling whiskey for at least 600 years. So how do whiskey-makers keep things fresh? Lately, a handful of adventurous whiskey brands like Jefferson’s Bourbon and Blackened have turned to the finishing process as a space for innovation.
As finishing becomes more popular, all whiskey lovers — no matter how casual — should know about the process. Whiskey finishing or “secondary maturation” is, traditionally, the process of moving fully matured whiskey to another barrel (there are no time restrictions on whiskey finishing). The process was popularized relatively recently, with David Stewart MBE kicking things off when he launched The Balvenie Doublewood 12 in 1983. That release (now the brand’s flagship) took matured scotch and finished it in sherry casks.
Since then, finishing has become more and more ubiquitous across not only Scotch brands, but also American whiskey. And some new finishing techniques are also going beyond simply moving mature liquid to different casks (although there’s still plenty of that too).
This creative approach to finishing is perhaps best exemplified by Jefferson’s Bourbon. Launched in 1997, Jefferson’s put itself on the map with its Ocean Aged at Sea bourbon, which places barrels of matured Kentucky bourbon on ships for several months. The ship’s motion purportedly causes more interaction between the wood and the liquid, while salty ocean air makes its imprint as well.
Buy Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Drizly
Recently, Jefferson’s unveiled a new expression — Jefferson’s Tropics — that takes things even further. After aging the spirit in Kentucky, Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller loaded 720 barrels onto a ship bound for Singapore, where the barrels rested for 18 months. That means the whiskey was subject to the movement of the ship (like Jefferson’s Ocean), but also the equatorial heat and humidity of Singapore, making Tropics the first-ever “humidity-aged” bourbon. “After taking barrels to many different locations, it was evident that the hot and humid climates had such a positive impact on the bourbon,” explains Zoeller.
We think Zoeller’s gamble of shipping barrels to Singapore paid off. Sampling the spirit out of a barrel, Tropics tasted uniquely woody and boasted some sea salt, ripe fruit, and rum-like molasses flavors that you won’t find in any other bourbon. “The result is a remarkable bourbon, one that further reinforces my belief that terroir for whiskey comes from the environment that the bourbon matures in rather than the ground from which the grains are grown,” says Zoeller.
If you’re looking for a fresh, exciting new bourbon, get a bottle of Jefferson’s Tropics Aged in Humidity delivered to your doorstep through Drizly here (typically around $99 depending on location).
Buy Jefferson’s Tropics: Singapore Drizly
Another brand getting experimental with whiskey finishing is Blackened, a joint venture between Hall Of Fame Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and Metallica (after Pickerell’s death in 2018, Rob Dietrich came on as Master Distiller). Together, the band and Pickerell came up with a finishing process they call “Black Noise” sonic enhancement. This process, done with a special subwoofer developed by Metallica and Meyer Sound, “produces low hertz sound waves causing the whiskey to reverberate at a fast rate, interacting with the oak staves of the finishing barrel, measurably releasing wood compounds and flavors.”
In other words, Blackened treats barrels of its bourbon-rye blend to an extremely loud, bass-heavy Metallica concert. This technique — causing the liquid to move and thereby interact with the wood more — is very reminiscent of Jefferson’s approach with its Ocean bourbons.
It’s hard to say for sure just how much the “Black Noise” process affects the final product, but we can say this: Blackened is doing something(s) right. The final product is balanced and flavorful, with great woodiness, some fruit, vanilla, and spice. Grab Blackened for $41 on Drizly here.
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