Dried fruit | Strawberry jam | Peppery baking spices | Brown sugar | Savory undertone | Interesting combination of scents

Bright rye spice | Cinnamon bun | Tobacco | Brown sugar | Caramel | Thin mouthfeel

Green apple | Green grape | Brown sugar | Persistent savory undertone

Located in California, Filmland Spirits is a crew of whiskey enthusiasts, movie buffs, and storytellers bringing people together through captivating tales and interesting spirits. Their mission is simple: Stories you can drink. Each release is built around an original narrative, the bottle itself serving as the opening chapter.

The Crimson Cask is a Kentucky-only small batch release. The bourbon leans traditional with a flavor profile of caramel, brown sugar, peppery baking spices, and fruit notes that bourbon drinkers will find immediately familiar. The Filmland Spirits twist is more about the presentation than what’s in the glass, though its rye-spice brightness keeps it from being entirely by-the-book.

The aroma greets you with layers of interesting scents – dried fruit, strawberry jam, peppery baking spices, and brown sugar. It has a savory undertone that gives way to an immediate wave of bright rye spice on the sip. Cinnamon bun, tobacco, brown sugar, and caramel merge in, and while the midpoint is quietly satisfying, it comes across a bit thin. The finish brings more unusual flavors of green apple and green grape, along with sweet brown sugar. Its persistent savory undertone carries through to the end.  

Where The Crimson Cask really succeeds is in making the bourbon feel cinematic. Like other Filmland Spirits releases, the bottle is a conversation piece, the label tells a story, and the whiskey inside is good enough to justify the purchase beyond the novelty. At only $40, it’s a solid value for a boutique label.