Metallica Unveil Rye the Lightning Whiskey, Offer Free Download of Only Full Ride the Lightning Performance

Metallica’s Blackened American Whiskey line has unveiled its latest concoction, the cleverly titled Rye the Lightning. The limited-edition liquor was crafted using sonic vibrations from Metallica’s only full-album live performance of their classic 1984 album, Ride the Lightning.

Rye the Lightning is a 90 proof Kentucky straight rye double cask finished whiskey that has notes of “dried fig, hay, pinewood, pear, and rum cake on the nose, and on the palate, clover honey, mint, corn husk, sugar cane, walnut, and cinnamon.” Just like previous Blackened American Whiskey editions, the liquor was crafted utilizing the company’s trademark Black Noise sonic-enhancement process, which uses the low hertz frequencies from Metallica’s music to vibrate the barrels.

In the case of Rye the Lightning, Metallica’s full-album performance of Ride the Lightning from the band’s own 2012 Orion Music + More festival in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was played to rock the barrels, “causing a greater interaction between the whiskey and the wood, forcing the liquid further into the barrel and extracting more flavor and color.”

The Ride the Lightning portion of that particular concert marked the only time Metallica has ever played their sophomore album in its entirety at a live show, as the band performed the LP in reverse order to the pleasant surprise of those in attendance. In celebration of the new whiskey, the metal legends are offering a free remastered download of that set to fans who sign up at this location.

“The vibe from the crowd at the first Orion Music + More festival was electrifying,” stated bassist Robert Trujillo, “and it’s really cool that we get to capture that energy in this release. We’ve used a few live songs in our playlists before, but never a full live playlist. So to be able to incorporate our fans in the Blackened journey and have them be a part of the whiskey-making process is really unique, and makes this a true collaboration.”

Master distiller Rob Dietrich added, “I absolutely love the high spice and earthy notes in American rye whiskey! I wanted to play with those flavor profiles by bringing a symmetry of subtle flavor elements by combining not just one, but two different cask finishes to the whiskey, creating a complex balance of sweet and savory.”

Metallica kick off a South American tour tonight (April 27th) in Santiago, Chile. The band will return to the States in late May to play the BottleRock and Boston Calling festivals before hitting Europe in June. They’ll once again play a few US show in the summer when the appear at Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 28th and perform two headlining concerts in Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August. Tickets to Metallica’s upcoming shows are available via Ticketmaster.

Learn more about Rye the Lightning at the official Blackened American Whiskey website, and see the full playlist for the free download of the band’s Ride the Lightning performance below.

Black Noise Ride the Lightning Playlist:
Ride the Lightning Intro
The Call of Ktulu
Creeping Death
Escape (Live Debut)
Trapped Under Ice
Kirk Solo
Fade To Black
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ride the Lightning
Fight Fire With Fire

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