30 September 2012

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Blue Ridge - Defiant American Single Malt Whiskey

By 18 comments

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Blue Ridge - Defiant American Single Malt Whiskey--750ml, 41% ABV.

18 comments:

  1. Mike HarrisFebruary 13, 2013 at 2:32 PM

    I bought this on a whim while at the ABC store at lunch. Single Barrel #2. At $60+ I figured it must be good. Didn't check on my cell phone in the store. Mistake.

    At work I looked it up and saw their product is under a year old. And it certainly shows in taste.

    It's got all the good, but light, clear, color comparable to, say, other younger (such as Town Branch).

    Taste is pretty raw, and to me, one component almost repulsive. I haven't partaken much of local 'shine but it seemed otherwise more comparable to white dog (as sampled at distilleries) with a little barrel time.

    At that it certainly wasn't the (ouch) $60+ I spent on it on spec at the ABC store. $20 maybe and call it Copper Dog or something.

    Though from that perspective DEFIANT is what it is in all respects including price.

    I really wish instead they'd follow the lead of other young distilleries like Corsair's Triple Smoke who are doing innovative and tasty things with their young products while they get some taste behind the barrels they are aging.

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  2. Just maltFebruary 19, 2013 at 8:02 PM

    Thanks for the report! Please keep us updated.

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  3. AnonymousJune 19, 2013 at 8:09 PM

    I drink a lot of scotch and respectfully disagree. Yes, it's a young whisky which would have benefited from more time in a barrel. But it's quite drinkable as is and, in my opinion, worth the $60.

    These folks show a great deal of promise.

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  4. UnknownAugust 29, 2013 at 5:49 AM

    Mike I am affiliated with Blue Ridge and I know that they would love to send you a complementary bottle of Cask #5. Cask 2 was still early on, and does not represent the final recipe for this fine product. Send me an email and I will get a bottle shipped out to you, I know they would love to have you give it a second opionion!

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  5. UnknownSeptember 13, 2013 at 9:46 PM

    I've yet to try it. Just discovered today. This distillery is located in my hometown, I'll drop the $60 on that alone I guess. Nice bottle to have.

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  6. Just maltSeptember 15, 2013 at 5:16 PM

    Thanks. Let us know what you think.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2013 at 10:48 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2013 at 10:49 PM

    Reminds me of a lowland single malt scotch - not very distinctive nose or character. To be so young, however, it is drinkable and will get better with age. I applaud this company for its effort and wish them godspeed.

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2013 at 7:50 PM

    Pretty undistinctive, but drinkable. Little nose, not much body or character, but I see promise with further aging. Best wishes.

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  10. mormegilusOctober 6, 2013 at 2:27 PM

    I also disagree. I generally split my time between scotch and bourbon, and am self admittedly a snob. Defiant cask #0003 is absolutely a young whiskey, but it's beautifully balanced and has a lot of character. In some ways it's reminiscent of lowland scotch, but moreso I think of irish whiskey. In any case, in quality I think it compares favorably to any whiskey at its pricepoint and if i'm gonna spend ~$50 on whiskey at a North Carolina ABC store, I'm probably gonna grab Defiant, Bookers, or Highland Park 12. In my experience, any drink substantially more interesting than these 3 is also substantially more expensive.

    So anyhow, I for one and quite pleased with my purchase and excited to see what this distillery might offer in the future.

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  11. AnonymousMay 15, 2014 at 6:32 PM

    Hands down the most tasteless trash ever to grace my lips and the price! I was shocked at just how terrible this whiskey was- save your money for better-like Woodford or the many lovely Ryes springing up everywhere

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  12. UnknownMay 27, 2014 at 1:35 AM

    No frills, nothing special. A taste of real Whisky, in America. The spirit tastes natural. It reminded me of an immature Speyside Malt, or maybe a premature taste of Laugavulin..maybe this is a stretch, but I am a drinker of whisky, whiskey, and other libations...and if I had my drethers, I would drink Defiant as if it were as readily available as JD, JB, JW, and J...just don't suffer the truth of ingredients. This is a true beverage. You will taste it's environment..just like the Scotch Whiskys...not like the American Bourbons. When you drink Defiant, you will see the Chattahoochee...you will see the green mountains, and the foggy valleys...you will taste where this whisky is born...and you will love it, if you love whisky. Pair this whisky with good sausage, BBQ, cheese, trout, quail...especially quail... and/or a good cigar. Cheers, Defiant!

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  13. UnknownMay 29, 2014 at 12:39 AM

    Well this is very interesting... I'm a big time Bourbon/american whisky fan (Rye is my go to). I have ventured into highlands and lowland and I would have to say that my nose smells a lot of potential for such a young lad. I took a chance because my favorite local ABC store doesn't keep crap on their top shelf, so this was a shot in the dark... this was. I'm amused as it leaves a very nice after taste on the finish. I keep sipp'n just to make sure I'm replacing my bourbon nose for my scotch nose. It starts out sd Scotch but finishes with a un-aged bourbon appeal. All-in-all I like it. I would love to see this at 4 to 5 years..Nums!! if they could go a little bit more american an d take this to 45%....WOW!! P.s. big white oak fan.

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  14. UnknownJune 17, 2014 at 6:51 PM

    Picked up a bottle of Defiant last week for $40. This is really good stuff. It tasted to me like a mix between scotch and bourbon, and hey, it pretty much is. Smooth like a scotch, flavorful and colored like a bourbon... what's not to like? Can't believe it is aged like a moonshine (hardly at all). Tastes well aged to me. So it's a single malt bourbon/scotch moonshine. Weird and wonderful, imo.

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  15. AnonymousNovember 13, 2014 at 9:59 PM

    Way overpriced, bland, bourbony crap. Among worst buys I have ever made in the malt world.

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  16. AnonymousNovember 13, 2014 at 10:00 PM

    Corsair Triple Smoke and McCarthy's Oregon Malt 1,000 times better.

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  17. AnonymousNovember 21, 2014 at 9:07 AM

    My Brother in Law , based on a review in Whiskey Advocate, bought a bottle last summer at a NC ABC store. It must have been scorched batch. Indy 500 with notes of Goodyear. Un-drinkable.
    I would guess all they recieved was the same batch.

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  18. UnknownFebruary 6, 2016 at 9:55 PM

    I thought it was terrible. On the nose it cannot be distinguished from tequila. Similar to Don Julio 1942. Taste was awful, though. So raw. Almost like chemicals. Undrinkable actually. I'll either throw it out or pass it off on unsuspecting guests who drink whisky over Coke.

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