Burnt Ends is an interesting concept: a blended whiskey made by combining Tennessee rye whiskey and peated and sherry finished single malt Scotch. A European-American fusion whisk(e)y. It is bottled at 45% ABV and comes in a barbecue sauce / medicinal type of bottle (50 cl). They even seem to market is as a good BBQ dram.
Atom Brands and Dr. Whisky had a hand in it (the Master of Malt group).
Burnt Ends (45%, Atom Brands 2020, 50 cl)
Nose: intruiging. It has the peaty backbone of a young Caol Ila, with olive oil and earthy notes, as well as some coastal brine. However there’s also a bigger woody influence, with rye spice, bread crust, roasted coffee and hints of vanilla. Subtle touches of sherry too, and an apple sweetness in the background.
Mouth: less convincing now. Quite sharp, with an alcoholic kick and plenty of youth. There’s Mezquite smoke and pepper but little more. Mint / eucalyptus and some charred wood. The low sweetness is a good thing, in my opinion, but somehow this results in a slightly bizarre mix of bitterness and sourness towards the end.
Finish: not too long, mostly on rye spices.
A bit of a funny mix of elements, combining rye whiskey, peated Scotch and sherry casks. We had good expectations on the nose, but it’s sharper, younger and less complex on the palate which lowered the score. An interesting concept though, with an attractive price. One to revisit when we get the barbecue out. Available from Master of Malt.