Slipknot No.9 Whisky, 70 cl

Product Information

While the nose and palate were more herbal and earthen, the addition of citrus during the finish makes it more floral. Palate: Lots of oak and spice on the palate as well. Some clove, pepper, and anise hit first, and then chocolate and cherries come in at the end. It’s almost like two separate whiskeys. The rye hits first and then the bourbon. Slipknot and Cedar Ridge wanted to create a whiskey that was bold and spicy, so they had to add a little rye to the mashbill. This resulted in creating a blended whiskey, with bourbon and rye, that finishes with a very high 35% rye in the mash. Now, I’m very excited to try this because I’m a big fan of malted rye, so we’ll see how this is. We’re going to talk a bit about the collaboration between Cedar Ridge Distillery and Slipknot before jumping into what their whiskey actually is. Then, we’ll cover the tasting notes to find out if Cedar Ridge and Slipknot produced a good whiskey. Slipknot and Cedar Ridge History/Collaboration on No. 9 Iowa Whiskey

No. 9 Iowa Whiskey is named after the 9 band members of Slipknot, and it was first released to the public in August 2019. The collaboration was simply between two Iowa based groups. In an interview Shawn Crahan, otherwise known as Clown in Slipknot, stated that Slipknot and Cedar Ridge are two groups of of Iowans that are committed to quality and hard work. Let’s start with Cedar Ridge Distillery. They were founded by Jeff Quint in 2005. Prior to that, the Quint family had been farming and distilling for generations. Cedar Ridge became the first licensed distillery in Iowa since prohibition which is funny considering the fact that Iowa produces the most corn in the US. Nose: Lots of oak and herbal spice off the bat. Caramel and honey come in with a bit of coconut and cherry as well as some chocolate covered nuts. Fruit opens up a bit more after sitting for 5-10 minutes. Slipknot No.9 Iowa Whiskey is made from corn, grown at the Cellar Ridge Distillery farm in Winthrop, Iowa. A blend of straight bourbon and straight rye whiskeys, it’s crafted from 60% bourbon, which is aged for 3-4 years, and from 40% rye, which is also aged for 3-4 years. Blended by Percussionist Shawn Crahan, also known as “Clown”, who can be seen sporting a clown mask when performing, Slipknot No. 9 Reserve Iowa Whiskey was named for the number of band members. Bottled at 90 proof, this stunning whiskey begins with a floral nose while the palate brings cornbread, apple butter, and jalapeño.I love trying whiskey from different states and regions from the US – especially when they are actually distilled in that state and not sourced (not that I have anything against sourced whiskey). I saw Iowa No 9 whiskey sitting on the shelf, and I don’t believe I’d ever had Iowa whiskey before, so I decided it was worth a shot. Overall, this is an interesting pour that I’ll continue to enjoy. Would I prefer if the spice were more brown cinnamon sugar? Yeah, but the herbal spice is a nice change-up. Other Expressions The nose and palate have a lot of herbal spice. At first touch of the tongue, you can tell there’s a lot of rye. The spice hits hard and it’s a touch sharp, something rye-haters will criticize, but once you make it through, there’s a creamier mouthfeel with chocolate and cherries. First is their standard No 9 Whiskey that we’re reviewing here. Second is the No 9 Reserve which appears to spend an extra year or two in the casks. They also offer a Red Cask in which the whiskeys are finished in estate-owned red wine casks for an additional year before being blended together. Last but not least is their “moonshine”, which appears to be un unaged whiskey with a bourbon mashbill, or a minimally aged at least. No 9 Iowa Whiskey Summary No. 9 Iowa Whiskey is a collaboration between Cedar Ridge Distillery and Slipknot. As I was reading the bottle, I was wondering what kind of business Slipknot was. I mean… it couldn’t be that Slipknot, could it? Yup, the death metal band is from Iowa. (Not my kind of music).