Sespe Creek Distillery and Legendary MMA Heavyweight Fighter, Josh Barnett have ventured on a partnership to create Warbringer Bourbon.

98 proof (49% ABV); distilled and bottled in Oxnard, CA; mash bill of 75% roasted, mesquite-smoked corn, 25% malted rye; resulting spirit aged in No. 4 char American Oak and finished in sherry casks; no age statement given.

Appearance: Warbringer comes in a pretty, scalloped glass bottle that frankly seems at odds with its hyper-masculine story craft. The liquid is a clear, warm butterscotch that forms fat tears on the glass.

Nose: This whiskey’s nose is plantain roasted over a campfire. Toward the end of the inhale, there’s meatiness. As it rests, the nose sweetens to smoky toffee.

Palate: Not a gentle whiskey, this. Warbringer explodes with banana fruitiness and a whiff of the nose’s campfire. The proof stings and quickly mellows to vanilla creaminess. A pleasant diesel flavor glides through the mid palate, leading to a long, herbaceous finish. Not nearly as smoky as I expected, given the talk and the nose.