The light music of whisky falling into glasses made an agreeable interlude.” – The Dubliners
I’m sure you’ve heard this before:
Whisky and music are inextricably linked.
Sip one – If you’re a blues artist, country singer or in a rock band, chances are you have a “whisky” song in your catalogue. Sip two – If you’re in a southern rock band, then chances are you have more than one “whiskey” song in your catalogue. Not to glorify or venerate some artists’ excesses, there’s also the (in)famous stories on the enjoyment of whisky before, during and after a performance.
The first paragraph underlined the “and”. This one will focus on the “in” when it comes to whisky in music.
Suntory has whisky releases in bottles that are shaped like musical instruments. Michael Anthony famously had a bass guitar built in the shape of a Jack Daniel’s bottle. WhiskyFM is a site that features a music player and whisky news. If you appreciate pre-digital audio devices, enjoy one-eared music with a Ballantine’s FM Transistor Radio.
I’m going to press rewind for just a second.
Whisky and music are inextricably linked. And it’s becoming inextricablier. More and more, artists who most likely enjoy a sip of whisky are having their names show up on the bottles’ labels either through association or collaboration. To honour the greatest rock and roll band in the world, Suntory released The Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary special edition whisky. For 40 years’ worth of rock and roll, Jack Daniels created Motörhead Single Barrel Select.
Lemmy Approved: Motörhead Single Barrel Select was released in 2016
Canadian rapper Drake launched Virginia Black American Whiskey. Willie Nelson, who hasn’t let the trend of artists and whiskey go to pot, has Old Whiskey River. If you love it cranked up to 11, then reach for Anthrax, Alice In Chains, or Slipknot – each have their own labelled whiskey.
Even hard rockers Alice In Chains have a whisky collab to sing about with FEW
As wide and varied are musical styles, from country to thrash metal and everything in between, so too are the whiskies released by, and in association with, musical artists. So flic your Bic and raise it in the air. Here’s The Five After Five’s 5 Whiskies That Hit The Right Notes:
5 Whiskies That Hit The Right Notes
5.
The Pogues Irish Whiskey
West Cork, Ireland / 40.14% ABV
It only sounds natural that a Celtic punk band should have its whiskey brand. Created in collaboration with West Cork Distilleries. Oi!
4.
Motörhead Single Malt
Mackmyra, Valbo, Sweden / 40% ABV
Sure the band has a Jack Daniels namesake release; however, this other one is from Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery. What do you expect from a country that loves its single malt and its loud music?
3.
Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select
Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA / 45% ABV
Frank, much like Lemmy who we mentioned previously, enjoyed Jack Daniels. Naturally Jack Daniels created this whisky as an homage to Ol’ Blue Eyes. This whisky is aged in “Sinatra” casks that feature deep grooves in the staves to allow more interaction with the whisky.
Smooth, baby.
2.
Bob Dylan Heaven’s Door
Nashville, Tennessee USA / 45% ABV
This collection of whiskies include a straight bourbon and rye as well as a double barrel whiskey and 10 year old straight rye. The artwork on the bottles come from the iron gates created by the Nobel laureate himself for his metalworking shop.
1.
Metallica Blackened
Mineville, New York, USA / 55.35% ABV
Aged in black brandy casks, this rye-bourbon blend enjoyed listening to Metallica’s music cranked up while in said casks. I said, this rye-bourbon blend enjoyed listening to Metallica’s music cranked up while in said casks.
The Last Word
At the risk of sounding like a worn out record, I’ll like to come back around to the beginning. There was whisky and music. Then, whisky in music. I’d like to add another one: whisky with music.
Like pairing food, whisky with music make a delicious and sensorial combination worth exploring. Pour something for your glass, put something on for your ears and let the notes from both talk to you.
Bonus Tracks:
Here are a few suggestions from my ears and taste buds. of course, we would always love to hear and taste your suggestions.
- Pair Glenfarclas 105 with Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ – the cask strength version.
- Pair JP. Wiser’s 18 Year Old with Neil Young’s ‘Like A Hurricane’.
- Pair Orphan Barrel’s 20 Year Old Barterhouse Bourbon with Elise LeGrows’ ‘Drinking In The Day’. Tastes and sounds even better at night.
- Pair Royal Brackla’s 16 Year Old with Soft Machine’s ‘Hazard Profile Part One’. Put your feet up and your phone on dnd.
- Pair Suntory’s Hibiki Harmony with Tom Jones’ version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Tower Of Song’.
Cheers.
– Renaud Timson
Renaud Timson resides in Ottawa, Canada and likes to refer to himself as a “whisky enjoyist”. He is a certified Whisky Ambassador, accredited by the Scottish Whisky Association and his wallet has membership cards to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada, Ontario Whisky Quarterly and The Ottawa Whisky Guild.
On the non-whisky side, he’s a dad of six adult kids: three with two legs and three with four legs. He has some whiskies that are older than his kids.
He can be reached at renaudtimson@gmail.com.
