Metallica Release Blackened Whiskey “Sonically-Enhanced” by the Black Album
Metallica recently seemed to tease some big thirtieth anniversary plans for Metallica, a.k.a. “The Black Album.” Which is certainly an anniversary worth celebrating: powered by hits like “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “The Unforgiven,” The Black Album launched Metallica into mainstream superstardom, and remains their most commercially successful record to date, having sold 30 million copies and counting (it reportedly still sells approximately 5,000 copies every week). In 2019, it became one of only four albums ever to spend 550 nonconsecutive weeks (or 10.5 years!) on the Billboard 200 charts (former bassist Jason Newsted has made it clear that he could live off of royalties from The Black Album alone).
Hopefully, though, this isn’t the band’s only commemorative plan for the record. From Metallica.com:
“It seems our friends at Blackened American Whiskey have been spinning The Black Album a lot lately – it’s the focus of their latest special release! Available now, you can enjoy a bottle of Blackened’s Batch 114, sonically-enhanced by the album itself, as part of a limited-edition collector’s pack.
“The pack also includes a collectible whiskey coin and the Snakebyte Cocktail Booklet, a recipe book featuring riffs off the classic whiskey Snake Bite drink from some of today’s rock star bartenders from across the country, and named after James Hetfield’s Signature ESP Snakebyte Guitar.
“Using the proprietary BLACK NOISE® finishing process, Batch 114 was blasted with all 12 songs from The Black Album. A standard finishing practice for Blackened, the black brandy casks are pummeled by low-frequency sound waves forcing the whiskey to penetrate deeper into the barrel, extracting more caramel, honey, and vanilla flavors from the wood.”
Until someone reliable shows me the documentation on blasting alcohol with heavy metal music in order to increase its potency, I’m going to assume that’s all bullshit.
Still, if you’re a Metallica mega-fan, the set is only fifty bucks, which seems reasonable-ish for a bottle of booze and some extra souvenirs. I mean, if Pig Destroyer tried to sell me bacon that’s allegedly been blasted with Prowler in the Yard and a t-shirt, I’d probably buy it for fifty bucks.
You can purchase yours here. A video announcing the release, featuring Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo — y’know, the one current member of Metallica who isn’t on The Black Album — can be viewed below.
Meanwhile, Metallica have some festival appearances lined up for the fall. Those are as follows:
9/24 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life at Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center [tickets]
9/26 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life at Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center [tickets]
10/8 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock at Discovery Park [tickets]
10/10 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock at Discovery Park [tickets]
11/12 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville at the Daytona International Speedway [tickets]
11/14 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville at the Daytona International Speedway [tickets]
