Dark Arts A Long Strange Dip

Dark Arts A Long Strange Dip is Dark Arts Whiskey House’s honey-cask bourbon from Lexington (the producer lists it as Long Strange Drip): a limited Sweet n’ Sour Mash blend of Kentucky sweet-mash bourbon, typically aged more than 5 years at 64% corn, 24% rye, and 12% malted barley, with Indiana sour-mash bourbon typically aged more than 8 years at 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Those two fermentations are married, then finished in casks seasoned with a custom honey blend so vanilla and caramel from the hive sit in the texture instead of as syrup. A generous sipper when the weather turns and the evening stretches.

Honeysuckle and candied citrus lead, with orange blossom and ripe cherry in the middle and sugar-cane sweetness underneath. Honeyed tea and candied ginger linger, gentle oak comes in late, and the honey stays vivid without turning cloying.