Finest recognized for his or her highly-aged brandy, Raj Bhakta’s eponymous spirits model is making strikes into different classes, together with whiskey. They launched an Armagnac-cask completed bourbon earlier in 2023, and so they’ve additionally dabbled in rum. Now, they’re mixing up one thing completely different altogether: a blended spirits that’s 60 p.c rye whiskey, 30 p.c Calvados, and 10 p.c Armagnac. Dubbed “Bhakta 1928,” the bottling is known as for the oldest classic within the mix and likewise contains Armagnac from 1941, 1962, and 1973.
The bottom is an American rye whiskey sourced from MGP and distilled in 2018. The ultimate product is completed in virgin French oak. Whereas the model isn’t revealing full particulars, they state 30 p.c of the spirits within the Bhakta 1928 mix are over 30 years previous.
It’s a reasonably daring experiment in cross-category bottling, and the ultimate product is 50 p.c abv. Let’s dive in.
The pour is rye-forward on the nostril with heavy oak affect, and if I didn’t know higher, I might be satisfied this was a 15+ yr previous rye whiskey; the affect from the Calvados and Armagnac are heavier than their 40 p.c proportion. There’s a contact of inexperienced apple peel in addition to mild notes of champagne grapes, caramel, vanilla extract, and chocolate coated pecans.
A primary sip is straight away however subtly candy, a lightweight pan caramel that step by step turns into darker and extra pronounced because it expands throughout the palate. Gentle spice is up subsequent, cinnamon and nutmeg, earlier than the rye notes transition to dried citrus, pear, and oaky fruit. There’s character from the older brandy, nevertheless it’s mouthwatering as a substitute of drying. It’s not the deepest of flavors from Bhakta’s shares that I’ve tried, nevertheless it provides a mature undercurrent to the rye I want was barely extra pronounced. The end is fruity, candy, and evenly tannic, pear taking heart stage and step by step dissipating to oak.
100 proof.
A- / $69 / bhaktaspirits.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
Bhakta 1928
$69
