Distinct Amburana influence | Fresh gingerbread | Graham cracker

Rye spice backbone | Charred oak | Gingerbread cookie | Earthy undertone

Amburana-driven flavors dissipate | Brown sugar | Bold rye spice | Long

Dark Arts Whiskey House is a niche whiskey blending, rebarreling, and finishing house located in Lexington, Kentucky and is headed by Macaulay Minton and David Peet. According to the company, Amburana Stave Finish Rye is made up of three barrel small batch blends, which are numbered sequentially. Barrels vary in age from 6-8 years and are always bottled at 108 proof, which results in yields of 600-750 bottles per batch. As a result, each blend is unique.

Dark Arts Amburana Oak Stave Finished, Small Batch Rye is a rye-based Amburana finished whiskey. It leads with a distinct Amburana-driven scents, including gingerbread and graham cracker. But the palate has a strong rye spice backbone that’s complemented by charred oak and an earthy note in addition to persisting gingerbread, a distinct Amburana characteristic. Amburana flavors dissipate in the finish, allowing brown sugar to emerge. Rye spice also hits its high point here, making for a long, spicy finish.

Being finished with Amburana staves rather than in an Amburana barrel likely contributes to the whiskey’s relatively modest Amburana influence, bringing forward its rye attributes more than its Amburana ones. This will please rye whiskey fans who might enjoy a splash of gingerbread and graham cracker. Because it’s so easy to overdo Amburana finishing, this works quite well in the case of this Dark Arts Whiskey and serves as a great primer for anyone interested in exploring Amburana finished ryes.

The whiskey in review is from batch 1, bottle 331.