Our goal of Mandala is to create a whiskey with the sweetness and finish of a well aged bourbon, with the nuance and complexity of an American Craft Whiskey.
To accomplish this we are beginning with an incredibly complex grain profile loaded with dark crystal malts to add richness and texture, two-row malted barley to provide a sturdy backbone that will stay steady while the nuances develop from the specialty malts, and an esther heavy yeast that will develop fruity aromas that we hope will contribute to increased aromatics in the finished whiskey.
The whiskey will develop the majority of its character from the charred new American Oak casks that it will spend two years in, allowing the base malts to mellow, while the nuances of the specialty malts become whatever they want to become.
Following maturation, Mandala will rest in freshly dumped ex-Bourbon barrels. We hope that this finishing step will act like a wrapper encapsulating the spirit with richness and caramel sweetness, before it opens up into the delicate and complex spirit deeper within.