George Dickel teamed up with the hot sauce brand for this pepper barrel-aged whisky.
Sure, there are quite a few cocktails that incorporate a splash of hot sauce—Bloody Marys and Micheladas come to mind. And when it comes to whisky, if spicing things up was your jam, you could always opt for a cinnamon whisky, including the infamous Fireball brand. But one of America’s classic whisky distillers is kicking it up a notch with the help of one of America’s classic hot sauce makers as Tennesee’s George Dickel launches a Tabasco Barrel Finish whisky in collaboration with Lousiana-based McLlhenny Company’s Tabasco brand, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
The whisky is aged for 30 days in barrels sourced from Tabasco which are used to age the peppers used in the iconic red sauce. Then actual Tabasco sauce is distilled into an essence and blended into the batch. The final product apparently offers imbibers a 70 proof whisky with a spicy kick with a smooth finish.
“George Dickel Tennessee Whisky and Tabasco are two of the most iconic brands the South has to offer for a reason—the craftsmanship that goes into creating these products is the real deal,” Jeff Parrott, Director of American Whiskey Development at Diageo (George Dickel’s parent company), said in a statement. “Both brands have such a rich history, and we’re proud to collaborate with our friends at McIlhenny Company to marry their unique flavour with our quality Tennessee whisky.”