Von Payne Black Whiskey
Who makes it? The Point Distilling
Mash Bill: Undisclosed but infused with Black Currant
Where it’s from: Clearwater, FL
Poor Erik was left all alone not knowing what we were reviewing but then… the Whiskey Hunter showed up with a bottle of Von Payne Black! Kris stopped at Golden Ox on Normandy in Jacksonville for another bottle of New Riff and seen this bottle on shelf and had to pick it up. A very sexy, elegant bottle with a gargoyle pourer perched on top. What’s different is the pourer is also the stopper. In the patented design the pourer has a rubber stopper on the inside that has to be removed so the juice inside can flow free.
This started 3 years ago when Steve Allen, the owner, was on the boat with his daughters(of legal drinking age) and their friends taking shots of vodka and making those alcohol faces, when asked why they said vodka has no calories and they weren’t into Fireball, Tequila or Jager. There had to be something better so Steve decided to create a drink for the next generation. He was currently a whiskey drinker and into old fashioneds and decided on an infused whiskey. Talking to his wife about different flavors, she suggested black currant. Steve knew nothing about it, did some research and found out that it was banned to grow in the US until 2003, was a superfruit, full of antioxidants. So he worked on the formulation for months using 100 proof Old Forester as the base and then figuring out the ratio of black currant and a few other key ingredients until he hit the WOW factor. Then next step was finding a distiller that would help him create his masterpiece. He had a meeting with Point Distilling and poured them samples, while on the tour of their operations the master distiller asked if he could have another pour, that’s when Steve knew this was the place and it had to something good!
Pouring it out of the gargoyles mouth it has a dark red with slight amber hue. Different than any other whiskey that’s out there. On the nose Erik still got an oaky, sweet but not fruity. Kris thought the same, similar to other whiskies but no overpowering fruit coming out of the glass. On the palate, Kris could taste the heat while Erik thought it was smooth coming in at 90 proof . On the finish Kris could taste a creamy blueberry aspect. On the second taste Kris could taste a slight tartness with a little sweet on the backend. Erik says it’s voodoo in a glass! After the addition of ice, it brought out more of the black currant flavor, a bit more of the tartiness comes through.
Kris gave it a 8.5
Erik gave it a 9.0 (his highest ever!)
This definitely gets the Whiskey and a Hammock stamp of approval! If you’re up for something different and enjoy old fashioneds, boulevardiers and other whiskey forward cocktails or want to try something different, you should pick up a bottle. Not only does it look cool and has a gargoyle for a pourer but it has a pleasingly unique flavor. In this vid we embraced the Payne. As they say “Discover the Pleasure of Payne”.
For the price? Von Payne comes in at about 60.00 and can be found in Florida or go to their website www.vonpayne.com and order one up!
