Dried jalapenos | Fresh cut chili peppers dominate | No other scents make it past the wall of peppers

Chili peppers | Light grain | Dab of smoke | Chocolate | One of the more wild flavor profiles for a whiskey

Chili peppers | Light dry oak | Slightest touch of vanilla | The finish sticks with you for minutes on end

Adventurous Stills is a craft distillery located in Tempe, Arizona whose motto is “strive to make something different.” The company’s Quinoa Whiskey is the 12th release in their Explorer’s Club. For $250 a year, members have the opportunity to purchase a unique one-of-a-kind whiskey from the company. Unique is the key word here, as this is one of the wildest whiskeys I’ve tasted lately. The nose smells like you’re about to dive into a spicy jalapeno cocktail and the rest of the sip plows forward with bold pepper flavors. It seems a fitting tribute to its origins in the southwest, and if you're a fan of chili peppers, you may gravitate towards this.

That said, this is truly love it or hate it whiskey with many people probably being in the latter camp due to its exotic flavor profile. While I can’t see too many people reaching for a neat pour all too often, I could see this being used as an interesting twist in a cocktail. I found this whiskey to be too chili pepper dominant, but I do have to give Adventurous Stills credit for making something different.

The bottle being reviewed is number 137.