Whiskey Review: Defiance

Defiance Whiskey is a new bourbon whiskey made in St. Louis and aged in Missouri white oak barrels. According to Daniel Fort, owner of the father-and-son brand, their goal was to create a new type of bourbon whiskey that would appeal not only to the traditional whiskey-drinking demographic, but to a younger and more diverse crowd including women and Millenials. As Fort explains, “We don’t want to be just another Southern-branded, the-Civil-War-could-have-gone-either-way kind of whiskey.”

If the name sounds familiar, it could be because you are already familiar with Defiant American Single Malt Whisky. The two shouldn’t be confused: Defiant comes from North Carolina, not Missouri, and there is no connection between the two brands.

Defiance comes in a beautiful bottle with a design that combines new and old elements and shouts “classic, yet modern.” I love the DW logo in stylized script and the modern, edgy typeface for “Defiance Whiskey.” The ribbon design around it gives the entire graphic a very sleek look. The liquid is a deep gold which is almost, but not quite, amber.

Opening the bottle, I detect rye, corn, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and caramel, with the rye as the prominent note. Tasting, I get plenty of rye and cinnamon with an astringent punch. The sweet notes of caramel and fruit only emerge on the aftertaste and smooth, dry finish. I love the progression of the flavors from spicy to sweet, but I could live without the astringent bite. A bottle will cost you around $27, which isn’t bad.

All in all, this is a great debut for a new whiskey brand, and as the beautiful design work on the bottle promises, it definitely is different from a lot of whiskeys I have tried. If they can get rid of that astringent note, their next bourbon will be even more delightful.

Defiance Whiskey : Review Summary

Color: Dark gold (or light amber).

Nose: Rye, corn, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, caramel.

Palate: Rye, cinnamon, astringency, caramel, sweet fruit.