The comments section is about to get hotter than a lean-burning header, so ready your popcorn and pipe wrap. Yes, you’re reading a tasting review on Bike EXIF, but before you shout ‘wrong blog,’ or ‘stay in your lane,’ hear us out. We’ve extended our reach, namely with the addition of Iron & Air’s back catalog of material, and also adding in some of our own outside influences as well. If you’re anything like us, custom motorcycles, classic autos and tastes from around the world go hand-in-hand; the sort of topics that give substance to conversations between gearheads.
Speaking of things that go hand-in-hand, it’s the opinion of the EXIF editorial staff that there are few finer things in life than a good spirit after you hang the keys up for the day. Whether it’s blue-collar light beer in the garage, or a neat glass and an RSS feed, some pairings are natural.
Whiskeys and bourbons are a recurring topic of our side chatter after hours, as we discuss the latest we’ve sampled, and we have an occasional virtual happy hour as well. We call it Whiskey Wednesday, and since we’re already doing the work, we figured why not share our findings with you?
Our first subject comes courtesy of a group of craftsmen from American Metal Customs in Danbury, Connecticut. Their award-winning custom shop cranks out rad bikes and hot rods, and they’ve expanded their brand to include a line of traditional American whiskeys as well—we respect the move.
The Disciple—American Metal Whiskey
- Tennessee Straight Whiskey
- Distilled in Tennessee, bottled in Vermont
- 90 Proof, 45% alcohol by volume
A limited-edition single-barrel, adorned with pinstriping, brass and Knuckleheads, The Disciple is very clearly aimed at the old-school American iron enthusiast. Its theme and namesake come from a recent Harley custom from American Metal’s Josh Allison, but it’s more than targeted marketing, as American Metal devised a way to include The Disciple Knucklehead in their ‘sonic-infusion’ process—let’s dive in.
The Disciple won’t leave gearheads wanting for presentation, as the inspired artwork was done in collaboration with Los Angeles-based Sonny Boy, known for his pinstriping, lettering and sign painting. Twice the weight of a contemporary platic fuel cap, the brass bottle stopper pops with a surprising heft, and it was modeled off the brass grips on Allison’s Knucklehead. The stopper alone is such a unique piece, it’s likely to find its way into your toolbox instead of the recycling bin—I’m thinking Harley oil bag cap, but I haven’t measured it yet.
With our uncultured palettes cleansed, we pour The Disciple neat and huff the intoxicating scents. You get a good hit of caramel, citrus and spice, that’s the orange and cloves talking, and the 89-proof amber liquid is more than inviting.
The first impression is that this is certainly an easy drinker, and it should be considering the high corn content in the mash bill and the conservative alcohol content. First met with caramel and butterscotch, and finishing with citrus and pepper on the edge of your tongue, there’s almost no burn to speak of. It goes down easy, but there’s sufficient complexity to bring you back for more. If you’re a casual whiskey drinker, or looking for a unique gift, The Disciple will not disappoint.
You’ll get a good two or three neat glasses out of the Disciple before you’re ready to switch it up. After that, the strong sweets and spice may get exaggerated, but it evens out nicely with some ice—don’t ring our necks too bad for not having steel ‘chilling cubes’ on hand. And while it’s a little low on octane, I think you’d have a good whiskey smash on your hands for subsequent sipping.
Before we get lost in the sauce, we need to revisit this whole sonic infusion deal. Since you can’t pipe straight Knucklehead exhaust into the oak barrel, they’ve devised a way to use recorded sounds from the Disciple’s exhaust in the four-year barrel aging process. We’d assume the audio must agitate the whiskey so the oak’s vanilla and caramel flavors transfer quicker. I’m no Sommelier, but the flavors are certainly there, so it’s more than a gimmick and a fancy label in our books.
I suppose there’s no truer measure of whiskey than how far the bottle goes, and only about half remained at the end of our session. Listing for $79.99, the Disciple is easy to like, and American Metal went above and beyond to send us their standard single-barrel, glassware and a wood box as well. While you won’t find these extras on the shelf at your local store, we’d be lying if we said they didn’t enhance the experience, and one of our tasters remarked that the wooden box was worthy of committing a small pet to the earth in.
That’s the type of insight you’ll find nowhere other than Whiskey Wednesday. Cheers
Stock images courtesy of American Metal Whiskey | Facebook | Instagram