This week’s whiskey reviews have been quite a journey, but to wrap it up we’re sticking close to home (Oxnard, CA) and reviewing the Warbringer Warmaster Edition Whiskey. A beverage that blends two of my favorite things in this big mad world: MMA and unique whiskey.
Hand-picked by MMA legend Josh “Warmaster” Barnett (previously the Baby Faced Assassin) this is a cask strength, single cask, product pulled from a sherry butt. It starts life as their traditional mesquite-smoked bourbon, which uses mesquite-smoked corn, and gets finished in a sherry butt… and picked by a man who has kicked ass across the globe.
Warbringer Warmaster Edition Whiskey Review: Details and Tasting Notes
This brave maker is one that might cause a ruckus, but it be a damn fine, ace-high, bonafide botle of hooch that’s worth it.
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: California, USA
Distiller: Sespe Creek Distillery
Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak, ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 54.5%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: Warmaster 2020
Price: $100*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Ruddy
NOSE
Mesquite, cooca, char, wood, minerally, spirit, dried dark fruit, leather, touch soap and roasty notes.
PALATE
Mesquite, sherry, sweet, grilled fruit, minerally and woody touch sage, grain, leather and citrus.
FINISH
Long -> Smoke, wood, spice and sweetness.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, med-full body and oily feel.
Warbringer Warmaster Edition Whiskey Review: Overall and Score
This is not an “easy” whiskey, but it’s well worth the challenge. Aroma is heavy and brooding with bold mesquite smoke and heavy sherry sweetness battling for dominance; Palate is a bit less complex than the aroma, but on the whole sweeter and even more pleasant; Finish comes through sweetly but dives into a long smoky fade. There is a raw woody character that lighly rides through the whole experience.
They’ve come quite far in 2 years. The first time I tried some of the regular Warbringer was in late 2017 and it was young, spirity and not cohesive, but it showed a LOT of promise. A couple years and a sherry cask later and they’re sitting on something that’s unique and enjoyable with this Warbringer Warmaster Edition Whiskey.
It’s still obviously young and not fully integrated with some woody craft notes popping out, but on the whole I’m really enjoying it, especially in an Old Fashioned! If you’re looking for something to compare it to, it would sit right along the Balcones Brimstone, Del Bac Dorado or the Corsair Triple Smoke.
SCORE: 2.5/5
*Disclosure: The bottle for this whskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Warbringer Warmaster Edition Whiskey Review $100
Overall
2.5- Nose (2.5)
- Palate (2.5)
- Finish (2.5)
- BBF (2.5)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Warbringer Warmaster Edition Whiskey Review Summary
To come to grasp with this whiskey imagine a strip of dark fruit leather laid over a thin strip of mesquite-smoked meat followed by a sip of a young bourbon. A complex mixing of profiles that don’t seem like they would work… but do.
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