When Lightning Strikes Twice: Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey Brings Back Popular Rye Expression Named After Beloved Album
Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey brand has brought back its beloved “Rye the Lightning” whiskey. (Photo: BLACKENED Whiskey)
Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey brand announced on Wednesday that it is bringing back the popular expression it introduced in 2022: Rye The Lightning. The whiskey hosts a suggested retail price of $69.99 and can be ordered online or purchased at select retailers.
Bottled at 92 proof, Rye The Lightning is a blend of rye whiskeys selected by BLACKENED Master Distiller and Master Blender Rob Dietrich.
The whiskeys in the blend were finished in Madeira wine and Caribbean rum casks for between two and 14 weeks each, at which point they experienced BLACKENED’S “BLACK NOISE” sonic enhancement process, in which the barrels of whiskey are exposed to “low hertz sound waves.” According to BLACKENED, these sound waves agitate the liquid inside the barrels, increasing its interaction with the wooden staves and releasing additional compounds and flavors
“They say that lightning never strikes twice, but the second release of Rye The Lightning proves otherwise,” Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett said in a news release. “Rob captured the spirit of our ‘Ride The Lightning’ album with the award-winning first batch. And now with the 2024 edition, we are excited to take our fans on that ‘Ride’ once again.”
The current iteration of Rye the Lighting is described by BLACKENED as possessing aromas of “green apple, barn hay, caramel and banana bread on the nose.” The palate possesses orchard fruits like pear, almonds, cinnamon and a touch of waffle cone, according to the brand.
The initial Rye The Lightning release dropped in April 2022 and hosted a slightly reduced proof of 90.
“When we launched the first edition of Rye The Lightning in 2022, I knew we had something special,” Dietrich said. “I absolutely love the hay spice and dark earthy notes in American rye whiskey, so it was an adventure to play around with a creative flavor profile through cask finishing.”
The year the whiskey was released, Whisky Advocate named it one of the Top 20 Whiskies of the Year.
“I was thrilled that consumers loved this whiskey as much as we did, and with this limited release, I tried to capture some of the innovative magic of the first expression, but with a slightly new spin by upping the proof a couple of notches, while applying a non-chill filtering and using a rye with a different mash bill with different types of Madeira and Rum finishes,” Dietrich expressed.
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