This past weekend, at the grand tastings at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival , we poured Louisiana Single Malt Cask Strength, Riz, Louisiana Rice Whiskey, and a surprising entrant, Barleycorn Magic.
What is it? Is it whiskey? It’s certainly the “weirdest tasting” spirit poured at the festival, as we told a number of festival visitors at our table.
Barleycorn Magic is “spirits distilled from grain with natural flavors.” The government says that whiskey is a spirit distilled from grain. But since we had “natural flavors” in the mix, it’s classified as a Distilled Spirits Specialty, rather than any form of Whiskey.