Heavy metal band Metallica has partnered with WhistlePig master distiller Dave Pickerell to launch a "sonic-aged" whiskey called Blackened.
The band explained on it's website: "Dave is a chemical engineer who experienced the power of soundwaves during his time as a student and then a Professor of Chemistry at West Point, home to the world’s largest church organ."
When the lowest note would reverberate through the halls, Pickerell said "the whole building would tremble, it would really shake your guts" and he's been fascinated with the effect sound can have on distilling ever since, claiming it literally helps to shape the flavour.
"That’s right, the blend of bourbons, ryes, and whiskeys from all across North America, carefully selected by Dave himself, is housed in black brandy barrels and inundated with low hertz sound waves so intense that it actually enhances the molecular interaction and ultimately the finish of the whiskey."
The band collaborated with Meyer Sound, which has engineered a proprietary subwoofer that amplifies the low frequency sound waves.
"It just so happens that the low-frequency range needed for Dave’s vision was the range you hear in our music and the process of sonic-enhancement we call 'Black Noise' was born," the band explained. "A patent-pending process, the playlists that we create helps to shape the flavour of the whiskey."
Each batch of 5000 bottles of Blackened American Whiskey will come with an accompanying playlist at blackenedwhiskey.com and on Spotify and Apple Music.
Blackened will be available in stores, restaurants, and bars surrounding a handful of US tour dates the band is playing from September 2.
The band has assured fans and whiskey conoisseurs that it is taking the project very seriously.
“We are obviously not just slapping a Metallica label on a pre-existing mediocre whiskey, but have been working on this for the last several years and overseeing every detail, from the first idea to your first taste, with careful precision.
“The ultimate goal is to make a whiskey that fits into the Metallica experience and sets itself apart from all the others.”
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