One of Chattanooga's Rarest Finishes Yet???

Chattanooga Whiskey has long been known for their experimental and limited-edition releases. They’ve even dedicated a separate distillery location to testing new products and finishes. Their flagship products already push the boundaries of bourbon with their Tennessee High Malt mash bills, but finished releases like these take things one step further.

That’s a big part of why we love them at Seelbach’s, especially for folks looking to try a unique spin from an already incredible craft distillery. Today’s release may be one we’ve been most excited about in some time!

Chattanooga Whiskey's limited edition Barrel Finishing Series celebrates the union of Tennessee High Malt into a variety of classic finishing casks. Crafted from a combination of unique whiskey mash bills - all containing at least 25% specialty malted grains - each batch is custom-made to complement the flavor and aroma characteristics of the finishing barrel.

For their eighth finish, Chattanooga Whiskey distillers turned to Eastern Europe—this time to ice wine casks from one of Moldova's oldest wineries, set in the hills above the Black Sea. Ice wine is one of the rarest sweet wines in the world: the grapes are handpicked in the dead of winter and pressed while still frozen, yielding just a few precious drops of intensely concentrated juice from each cluster. These casks bring layered notes of dried apricot, honey, and soft oak to the whiskey—a taste of deep winter, enjoyable even in the heat of summer.

To carry the character of these finishing barrels, Chattanooga's distillers assembled a complex blend of six mash bills: five malt whiskeys and one bourbon. These recipes draw from a range of toasted specialty malts: a malted barley grown on Italy's coast near Venice, and two types of malted wheat, which together build a rich, bready backbone reminiscent of French toast. Together, these malts give the whiskey enough richness to match the ice wine's bright sweetness and aromatic fruit character.

Jammy, honeyed, and gently effervescent, with a beautifully soft chocolate cream linger, this nose is absolutely stunning and reminds me a lot of the Holt & Capen Boysenberry Rye in its roundness and juicy fruitiness, surprisingly nosing much older than its age.

The palate begins chewy and malty before quickly transitioning into rich, buttery fruit notes. The movement is effortless from front to back of the palate. Lightly spiced, dense, and layered with welcome tannins for the proof.

The finish gives light but lasting grape juice concentrate notes, never overstaying their welcome as they blanket the tongue and linger with gentle spice and tannins, resetting the palate and readying you for another sip.