Loads of stewed dark fruits | Candied raisin | Apricot

Dark malty base | Dark cherry | Corn syrup | Melted caramel | Raisin | Raspberry jam | Slight leather | Rich, full flavors

Stewed fruit | Caramel sauce | Dark cherry | Raspberry compote | Leather

Frontera is a limited annual release from Whiskey Del Bac that was first introduced in 2022. According to the initial announcement, “Frontera is Whiskey Del Bac’s Classic, aged in new American white oak, then finished an additional 13 months in Pedro Ximénez Sherry botas. The American single malt is named after the medieval city, Jerez de la Frontera, which sits on what was once the edge of Spain and is known as the world capital of sherry wine. This once border city still embodies a cultural richness that is common where countries meet.”

Whiskey Del Bac is a small, family-run distillery located in Tucson, Arizona. The distillery was founded in 2011 and has been quietly releasing American single malts with their own unique spin on them, well before the classification gained popularity and official status by the TTB.

Frontera is bottled at 97 proof, but the intensity of flavors is more on par with a higher proof whiskey, sans the heat from the proof. Dark fruits are on display here, with raisin and dark cherry being the stars of the show. The whiskey still has a malty base, but it leans toward the dark malt side and does well to prop up the more vibrant fruit notes. Overall this is a fantastic American single malt and the best of the company’s Frontera releases to date.

The whiskey in review is from Batch 4.