Bourbon Liqueur, 'Intergalactic Comet Crusher'

• Limited release small batch botanical bourbon liqueur produced by Chattanooga Whiskey in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• A minimum of 42 botanicals featuring anise seed, bitter orange peel, cacao nib, cardamom, chamomile, dates, elderflower, eucalyptus leaf, galangal, ginger, hops, juniper berries, lemon verbena, lemongrass, matcha green tea, spearmint, turkey rhubarb root, and vanilla
• Base spirit is a blend of whiskeys produced at Chattanooga Whiskey’s Tennessee River production site and Market Street experimental distillery; distilled on both a 30-foot high, 18-plate Vendome column still and custom Vendome copper doubler and a 100-gallon, 4-plate Vendome copper hybrid pot still
• Chattanooga’s 91 high malt recipe comprises a significant portion of the base spirit with a mash bill of 75% non-GMO yellow dent corn from Catesa Farms in Riddleton, Tennessee, 12% pale malted rye from Canada, 7% US-grown caramel malted barley, and 6% US-grown honey malted barley; full derived mash bill is undisclosed
• Botanical ingredients are macerated in base spirit in a 550-gallon stainless steel tank for approximately 12 days; the maceration is then strained, proofed down, and sweetened with organic cane sugar
• Non-age statement
• 12 barrels produced in the second release
• Emphatically citrus forward and floral on the nose, followed by deeper tones of gentian and juniper. Cacao nib and vanilla provide breadth on the palate that ultimately lands on malty bourbon cereal notes. Medium-plus texture; bright and fresh on the finish; or, as the distillery notes, “like having your brains smashed in by a bag of lemons dipped in 42 karat gold.”
• Gluten free (not certified)
• 42% ABV

This sought-after annual release from Chattanooga Whiskey, a “time-altered sequel to a bourbon liqueur reverse-engineered from a bottle found in a crashed UFO,” offers a glimpse of the distilling team working at its playful, after-hours best. On its face a devilish send-up of opacity in contemporary American whiskey (this is a spirit made for geeky sleuthing; leave a trail of breadcrumbs if you start reading the production notes), the expression embarks on a brain-bending, but ultimately craft-driven, exploration of a short, delicious list of favorite spirit categories all in one. An indispensable presence on any whiskey nerd’s bar cart, it’s a guaranteed stumper for blind tastings and a thrilling challenge for creative bartenders.