High n’ Wicked’s mission is simple.
Seek out excellent whiskeys from the United States and Ireland, and bottle them under the High n’ Wicked banner as a mark of quality for its fans. Launched by former Brown Foreman executives W. L. Lyons Brown, III, and Kevin E. Sachs in 2019, the company’s core products are an HNW Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye. From there, Brown and Sachs release “Exceptional Cask Selections,” a line of one-off whiskeys that either undergo a secondary finish or are bottled as single barrels.
The latest ECS bottling is High n’ Wicked No. 7 Foursquare Single Grain is the first of two releases planned this year. This French maize (corn) based whiskey was distilled in Cork County, Ireland, and finished in Barbados-based Foursquare Rum Distillery’s Mark X 2007 barrels, one of the world’s most coveted rums. The release of this small batch Irish whiskey is about 9,000 liters worldwide with an $80 MSRP.
What’s In The Bottle?
What makes Irish whiskey a “single grain” refers to being produced from one distillery, not one grain. This HNW offering is a 95% corn and 5% malted barley recipe. After maturing in ex-bourbon barrels, the liquid spends an additional 6 months in the Foursquare Mark X 2007 rum barrels and is bottled non-chill filtered at 50% ABV.
How Does It Taste?
Company tasting notes promise aromas of toasted brioche with spiced pear jam, oatmeal raisin cookies, toffee, lavender, and ginger. On the palate, expect cooked apples, sage, sugar cookies, nutmeg, and cinnamon, with a touch of cacao and juniper. The dram concludes with coconut caramel and honey.
Spirits writers, marketers and designers are among the most influential forces in the spirits industry. Their opinions, ideas and creative talents inform and influence consumer perceptions and buying decisions. The John Barleycorn Society was started by a group of spirits journalists seeking to honor excellence in all facets of the industry. The journalists spent several years creating a comprehensive competition that became the John Barleycorn Awards. An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
