Review #755 - Dark Arts Blunt Blend
Dark Arts Whiskey House is a blending house based in Lexington, Kentucky; they blend both bourbons and ryes, which they primarily source from MGP (Ross and Squib) in Indiana. Here's a rye whisky which they named 'Blunt Blend' - in fact, this is the second batch, which is called 'Dank Arts.'
This rye is made using MGP's 95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill, one of the most commonly sourced whiskies among American non-distilling producers (NDPs). To differentiate this product from other ryes, Dark Arts first ages it for a minimum of 8 years, and then they finish it in both Madeira fortified wine casks and Armagnac casks. After that, it's bottled at cask strength, which is 57.4% ABV (114.8 proof) in this case.
The price for this release is about $100, which puts this firmly in the premium end of the market. How does the flavor stack up against that cost?
Dark Arts Blunt Blend
USA - Rye
Price: USD 100 (2025)
Age Statement: 8 Years
Strength: 57.4% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in Madeira and Armagnac casks
Details: Batch #2 "Dank Arts"
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A dark complexion - caramel, wood smoke, leather, and dark berries. Dill, mint, and menthol notes show that rye side, and we get interesting hints of gasoline and a sharp, estery scent. Butterscotch, candied orange peel, and a whiff of tobacco add more complexity; we finish with anise and more oak. It's quite rye-forward but complex.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; it's quite spicy, with pepper, spearmint, menthol notes, and then some sweeter caramel and blackberries. It's quite punchy, too; wood char, rye spices, cinnamon, licorice, and mint chocolate chip ice cream continue the flavors.
Finish: Peppery oak, leather - more wood notes. There's also sweetness from sweet rye grain, vanilla, almost a bit candy-like; strong herbal rye flavors of roasted rosemary, sage, and menthol linger. In the aftertaste, we get mulled red wine, blackberries, and dark chocolate. This has a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is a really nice rye with plenty of rye grain character still lingering, although it does have some nice aged oaky notes and a bit of fruity flavor from the finishing barrels, too. The intensity is really nice with that higher bottling strength, and overall, we thought that this was a pretty well-balanced whisky with a nice mix of sweetness and spice.
Value at the price of $100 is about average, maybe just above average for us. We think this is a very good rye, and we would pay the MSRP for it.
Our Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.46
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
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