Dry cedar | Dark fruits | Black pepper | Burnt sugar | Some heat

Luxardo cherry | Black raspberry | Plum | Charred oak | Dark chocolate | Dry on the backend

Baking spices | Leather | Dry lingering heat

Daylight Wine & Spirits is located in Sonoma, California, and was co-founded by Andy Wahl and Bill Kerr. The two combined their talents in 2011 to start down their initial path of winemaking, of which their wine brands include Ammunition, Screen Door Cellars, Alpine Rift, The Marlborist, and The Equalizer. Later, they began exploring distilling and finishing whiskey, which led them to create Ammunition Bourbon, Rye, and Cask Strength Bourbon, all of which are finished in barrels that formerly held the company’s wines.

Ammunition Cask Strength Bourbon is aged for 4 years and then finished for 6 months in barrels that formerly held Ammunition Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s distilled in Kentucky, though the company has not disclosed which distillery or distilleries it originates from.

The whiskey starts with aromas of dry cedar, dark fruits, black pepper, and burnt sugar with some heat. Luxardo cherry, black raspberry, plum, charred oak, and dark chocolate define the palate before it hits a dry note. The dryness carries into the finish, which is accented by baking spices, leather, and dry lingering heat. This is a finished bourbon that won’t be for everyone, but will satisfy those who enjoy higher proof wine finishes that are complex and lean heavily dry. Polarizing but memorable, its flavor profile is intense, and those looking for more balance may need to wait a few iterations as the company has time to hone it in.