Tennessee-based Chattanooga Whiskey has some out-there expressions as part of its long-running Experimental Single Batch Series, but experiment #42 may be the wildest of the series so far.

The details:

Made from a 5-grain mash bill, this finished whiskey was made with four varieties of malted rye, including a cherrywood smoked malted rye and a dark roasted caramel malted rye. Aged for over four years, the whiskey was finished for three months in barrels which previously held a German-style amaro liqueur made by the Chattanooga Whiskey distilling team. Together, the whiskey and finishing barrel showcase a harmonious one-of-a-kind flavor profile – rimming with sweet and spicy characteristics – perfect for the winter months.

“Both the whiskey and the finishing barrel are extremely unique in their own rights. Our rye malt whiskey was made with a custom-smoked malted rye, crafted by our friends at Riverbend Malthouse in Asheville, North Carolina. Meanwhile, our finishing barrels previously held an amaro that was made with 14 fruits and botanicals, including dried bilberries, sour cherries, star anise, and sarsaparilla,” said Grant McCracken, founding distiller. “Together, the rye and the amaro work beautifully together, bringing out the best of both worlds.”

The finished product is four years old and comprises four barrels in total.

We gave it a whirl, and it’s every bit as weird as you’re expecting.

Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Batch 042 – Amaro Finished Rye Review

The nose is complex to a point of bizarreness, a near-baffling mix of prune raisins, smoky tea leaf, rhubarb, and the first whiff of a grass fire. Dark and dank up top, notes of dark chocolate fade into a gritty and ashy creosote quality with time in glass.

The palate sees an equally wild ride. While the initial rush of flavor is effusive and fruity — all raspberry and sweet blackberry syrup — things quickly change and the experience becomes rather medicinal, melding camphor, licorice, and tobacco notes before taking a more savory bent that evokes the taste of roasted meats. The camphor quality becomes intense before a final touch of sweetness creeps back into view — in the form of a little chocolate and some well-toasted coconut.

That’s gone soon enough, however. And what lingers on the tongue just about forever is that amaro-driven pungency, with very bitter gentian, pipe tobacco, and tons of menthol overwhelming the senses. The fade-out is powerfully medicinal in a way that I can hardly describe otherwise.

In case the tasting notes aren’t clear, I’ll say it outright: This experience was so wild that I still don’t even know if I liked it or not, despite two nights of trying to make sense of the thing. The thing of it is that I really love amari, which is why I requested a sample to begin with. I guess I was expecting something in the way of a bottled Paper Plane.

This is not that.

110 proof.

B / $70

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