Black Whiskey is on a roll with its many awards and expansion to more and more countries. This Peruvian-made product has added Black Whiskey Oxampampa Honey and Black Whiskey Single Barrel to its roster and our editor, Dawn, had the chance to review them for you.
We’ve told you about our friends at Black Whiskey many times before. They’ve created a fantastic whiskey made from Peruvian ingredients, such as purple corn, and have used an American process with white oak barrels to distill it into an award-winning whiskey. Now, they’ve added the Single Barrel Whiskey and Black Whiskey Oxapampa Honey to their list.
Going into the tasting, I already knew that I loved the original Black Whiskey and especially their Andean Cream (the much more elevated Bailey’s-like drink). You can read my review about those here. So, I knew that I would already love their new Oxapampa Honey and their Single Barrel additions before trying them.
Why Oxapampa honey?
Before the tasting began, I had asked Don Michael’s CEO, Michael Kuryla, what makes Oxampampa’s honey different than other kinds of honey and why it was so important to highlight that it came from that region. He says the taste is much more unique because, in Oxapampa’s ecosystem, there are plenty of eucalyptus trees in addition to the environment being rich in attars (such as the Polylepsis) and flowers (the most significant are the basanco, the nogal, the tacona and the sangre de grado). So no wonder they would want to focus on bringing this honey into Black Whiskey.
Tasting
At the tasting, I was keen to taste the new honey and single barrel versions. We started with the original Black Whiskey which was great because it gave me a chance to remember its taste so that I could compare it to the single barrel. The process difference is that the single barrel version comes literally from a single barrel, not blended from multiple barrels, and is chosen by their master sommelier, Daiana Paola Milon Mayer.
Trying the single barrel
When I tried the single barrel, I immediately recognized that it was very different from the original Black Whiskey and also how strong it was. This one had a deep-depth tasting profile that tasted like butterscotch and caramel. But those warm flavors were no additives, they came from the barrel itself. I was highly impressed by the depth of flavor but just a little was enough for me.
Trying the Oxapampa honey
Onto the Oxapampa Honey! I was very excited about this one and it lived up to my expectations. The flavors were warm and soothing. It was sweet and went down easy. We had it as it is at room temperature but I bet it would have been delicious with a cube of ice. You could taste the flora from the honey- those characteristics that make Oxapampa honey unique.
Where to try it
So, would we recommend it? Absolutely. And if you’re not currently in Peru, you can still have a taste of Black Whiskey from home! They are currently distributed to the USA, Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, England, and Taiwan. See where you can get yours on their website.
If you are coming to Peru and would be interested in a tour of the Black Whiskey distillery or pisco and wine vineyards, feel free to ask our travel expert to add it to your package!
All photos provided from Paola Rey Suarez.
