Cinnamon | Chai tea | Nutmeg | Cereal grain | Graham cracker

Vanilla chai | Cinnamon | Lem

Amaro | Orange rind | Nutmeg | Allspice | Nose-filling herbalness

Infused whiskeys aren’t for everyone as they tend to pack in a lot of acute flavors that traditional sipping whiskey drinkers are either unprepared for or simply prefer sticking to straight whiskey-driven flavor profiles. Big Easy Whiskey is a whiskey with natural flavors added, and the company matter-of-factly points out that it contains “no malt liquor, no filler.” It is made with Indiana and Kentucky-made whiskey distilled using a derived bourbon-based mashbill of 81% corn, 15% rye, and 4% malted barley. The blend was aged 5 years in used bourbon barrels and then infused with various herbs, spices, botanicals, and fruits. The result is a whiskey that tastes a little like gin because of its herbal notes, but it is also like a spiced whiskey cocktail or an old-fashioned.

Infused whiskeys are often sweet, and Big Easy Whiskey falls into that camp. There seems to be a good amount of care put into this whiskey’s creation to keep it close to an authentic-tasting experience, not one filled with artificial flavors and chemicals. The whiskey is dominated by medium-to-heavy notes of baking-related spices (e.g., cinnamon, chai, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla). There are quicker moments of fruit strewed throughout and underlying herbal notes that give in to gin-like qualities.

I like that this basically started as a bourbon but was aged in used barrels and later infused. The proof is kept at a reasonable point, and it’s priced right. I’d be interested in what a full brown bourbon base would have tasted like to help counter some of the whiskey’s strongly infused flavors. It’s decently constructed and balanced well, but you need to be in the mood for a sip of this sort. Though many bourbon lovers may be turned off by this, I do believe there is a market for infused whiskeys. Though this is a touch too sweet for my taste, its flavors are interesting and well-integrated.