Whisky: Duality Double Malt
Producer: Privately Owned
Distillery: ASW Distillery
Region: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Whisky Type: Double Malt (Malted Barley and Malted Rye)
Age: NAS
ABV: 44%
Aged in Cask: New charred American oak
Price Range: $$

American Spirit Whiskey (ASW) is a distillery located in Atlanta, Georgia. It started operations in 2016 and it is the most awarded Craft Whiskey Distillery since 2018 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the second legally licensed distillery in Atlanta since 1933, and the first distillery in Atlanta to distill single malt whisky.

ASW has three locations, offering slightly different ambiances:

• The Buckhead Distillery (main location) – Visit https://www.exploretock.com/asw-distillery-atlanta
• The Whiskey Exchange – Visit https://www.exploretock.com/asw-whiskey-exchange-atlanta
• The Battery near the Atlanta Braves stadium. Visit https://www.exploretock.com/asw-at-the-battery-atlanta

The core range of whiskies from American Spirit Whisky

Fiddler Unison Bourbon. The flagship whiskey of the distillery is made from sourced wheated bourbon using a column still and in-house high malt bourbon made from copper pot stills. This expression is bottled at 90% proof, displaying campfire and cereal notes.

Fiddler Georgia Heartwood Bourbon. A wheated bourbon from the same mash as Fiddler Unison Bourbon, aged in American white oak level 4 char and finished in 20-30 hand-charred staves of Georgia oak for about 3-5 months. The percentage of wheat in the mash is about 45%. Expect a creamy and sweet flavor profile with this bourbon. This expression is bottled at cask strength, 116% proof.

Fiddler Soloist Straight Bourbon. The first Straight Bourbon distilled in Atlanta is made from a mash bill of 56% Corn, 14% Malted Wheat, 10% Munich Malt, 7% Beechwood Smoked Malt, and 3% Chocolate Rye Malt. This bourbon is bottled at 100% proof to amplify the cinnamon notes.

Resurgens Rye. A throwback from the Appalachian-style ryes, made from 100% malted rye, which includes 4% chocolate rye, bottled at 86% proof.

Tire Fire Single Malt. This heavily peated single malt Islay Style finds a niche in Scotch lovers with an affinity for smoke and peat. The malted barley from this expression comes from Inverness, Scotland, and is aged in new charred oak. Expect some bourbon notes from the barrel (i.e., vanilla, toffee) and some Scotch flavors (i.e., smoke, cereal). This expression is bottled at 91% proof with two other variants (A cask strength (108%-115%) proof version and a rum-finished version.

Druid Hills Irish Style Whiskey. A triple-distilled Irish Pot Still whiskey made from 30% unmalted barley and 70% malted barley grown in county Louth, Ireland. Flavors of honey and figs are typical of this expression, bottled at 98% proof.

The Ameireachganac Series: Although ASW distillery is rooted in the Southeast of the United States, the distillery strives to create interesting expressions with malted barley, a grain known to be the favorite in the Scotch Whisky category. New releases using different yeast strains, malted barley, and different finishing methods break the long-standing tradition of Bourbon Distilleries.

– Maris Otter Single Malt Cask Strength. An unpeated malt made from one type of brewing malt (Maris Otter). This expression is not part of the core range, but part of a special series called “Ameireachganac”.This expression focuses on apple and lemon, and fudge flavors.

– Burns Night Single Malt. Another expression part of the Ameireachganac series is a lightly peated single malt made from 57% two-row malted barley, 25% Munich Malt, 15% Cherry-Smoked malted barley, and 3% chocolate malted barley. Feints from heavily peated Tire fire expression contribute to the creation of this Scotch-style expression at 92% proof.

Tasting Notes for Duality Double Malt

From the website: “Georgia’s 1st Ever Double Gold Medal Whiskey, Duality is also the world’s 1st whiskey to mash, ferment and distill malted rye (50%) and malted barley (50%) in the same batch. It drinks like rye, with the finish of a smoky single malt”.

This expression is aged in new American oak with char levels 3 and 4 and bottled at 88% proof.

According to ASW, Duality was a “Happy Accident”. Here is what ASW says: “Duality Double Malt was a happy accident, an experiment gone right when the grain supplier for our Head Distiller, Justin Manglitz, didn’t have enough malted rye for Justin to make a full batch of Resurgens Rye. Justin exercised his ingenuity and added malted barley into the batch. As he normally did with Resurgens, Justin retained the grain solids of both grains throughout the whole production process (from mashing, to fermentation, to distillation).”

Nose: Elegant nose of brown sugar, honey, and caramel. The nose reminds me of Canadian Whisky. I do not smell the cereal note from the malted barley so easy to identify in Scotch single malts. Maybe is because the rye aromas are very dominant.

Palate: The spicy note from rye arrives immediately, but it comes with a sweetness typical of caramel cinnamon and a smoky touch in the mid-palate.

Finish: Medium. The rye notes linger for a few seconds while the smoke is felt more in the last part of the tasting.

Conclusion: Duality Double Malt is a well-crafted malt whiskey that showcases two of the flavors I enjoy the most. A sweet and spicy profile found in Rye Whiskies with a smoky touch typical of Scotch Whisky. The latter adds plenty of character without overpowering the experience. I have to say that the rye note is not sharp but well balanced with the sweetness of the caramel, making it less intimidating to newbies to the rye category. Those who enjoy Scotch and rye will find this malt hitting the right notes. Slainte and Cheers! 🙂

Score:  4.25/5⭐

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