I’ve made no secret of my disapproval of super-overproof whiskeys, the ones that numb your lips with the first sip and require gallons of water to proof down to palatability.
But I recently learned a new (unofficial) term: hazmat whiskey. As in, they are bottled at such a high alcohol level (70% abv/140 proof or higher) that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not allow them on aircraft since the whiskey poses danger as an accelerant and possible explosion risk on a flight.
Over the past few years, proof levels have crept ever higher. Forty percent abv (80 proof) might have once been the standard; now, it seems, 45% (90 proof) is the new 40. But why stop there when you can do 100 or higher? (See: Wild Turkey 101.) In fact, why bother watering down whiskey to an arbitrary number at all when bottling it undiluted at cask strength is an option? Those straight-from-the-barrel picks often clock in at 55–60% abv, or above.
No wonder we’ve arrived at über-overproof territory.
Some distillers lean into hazmat as a fiery flex: See bottlings like Corbin Cash’s Master Distiller Single Barrel Hazmat 9 Year Rye. Or look to Coy Hill, a line of single barrels from Tennessee whiskey-maker Jack Daniel’s introduced in 2021, and the apparent King of the Hazmat. These bottles are secured with special high-compression corks and the brand warns that the bottle “should remain upright at all times unless pouring into a glass,” because the vapors from the whiskey could push the cork straight out of the bottle neck.
Often these are single barrels or limited editions—and thank goodness for that.
So, what’s with all the high-octane whiskeys? “There’s a belief that proof underpins flavor,” says Andrea Wilson, master of maturation and COO at Louisville, Kentucky’s Michter’s Distillery. “That’s true. But you don’t have to have high proof to have flavor.”
She also traces the trend back to 1962, when the U.S. government raised the legal maximum barrel entry proof (the strength at which unaged distillate goes into the barrel) from 110 to its current 125. Distillers add water so the distillate doesn’t exceed that maximum proof. If it goes into the barrel stronger, it comes out of the barrel stronger, Wilson explains. (Of note, Michter’s works with a lower entry barrel proof than most: “Our goal is a smooth, rich whiskey that warms you on the finish, but doesn’t burn you.”)
The point of that regulation change? Cost savings: Higher entry proof meant distilleries could produce more whiskey with fewer barrels. In turn, that reduced costs related to barrel storage and production.
That shift took place when the whiskey industry was still struggling post-Prohibition. Today, we’re in a whiskey boom. Economics still matter, but there’s no need to rush the process. Further, some critics argue that starting with super-high proofs extracts aggressive tannins, harsh wood flavors and other undesirable characteristics.
Most distilleries do offer a variety of strengths. For example, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky-based Larrikin Bourbon Co. ranges from an approachable 40% abv (80 proof) for its cocktail-friendly small batch to a forthcoming end-of-year Deep Purple limited release anticipated at a scorching 139 proof—just a whisker shy of hazmat territory—intended for more contemplative sipping.
While owner-distiller Greg Keeley hadn’t planned to go the hazmat route, he acknowledges that it might juice sales. “Some people will buy hazmat whiskey just because it’s high proof,” he says.
Luckily, I’m not sent hazmat whiskeys to review. But I do regularly review very high-octane whiskeys, and they do tend to score well. A prime example: Lost Lantern Soaring Spice, which clocked in at a whopping 63.8% (127.6 proof), snagged a 97, one of my highest scores in 2023. So, I guess I’m part of the problem, too.
What would it take to moderate the hazmat trend? First of all, we would have to disabuse ourselves of the notion that more fire equals more flavor. Second, distillers might want to take a step back and re-examine whether high entry proofs still make sense.
But honestly, as long as consumers are seeking out hazmats, they’re unlikely to go away.
This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!
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Published: October 29, 2024