Du Nord's Mixed Blood Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

In 2013, Chris Montana and his wife, Shanelle, formed a distillery in Minneapolis called Du Nord Craft Spirits. That’s not an overly exciting statement until you explore how they wound up there.

 

Chris grew up in Minneapolis and walked past the space that would later become his distillery on his way to and from high school. He was homeless, often sleeping on friends’ couches but not staying at any one location regularly. He had no inkling that being a business owner was a thing; he was trying to survive. It wasn’t until one friend’s parents convinced him to stay awhile, and “awhile” turned into Chris eventually being adopted by them.

 

After graduating high school, he had a stint at the University of Minnesota but dropped out and left for Washington, DC, to pursue a career in politics. He became a congressional aide. He then enrolled in college, this time at the University of the District of Columbia, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He went on to earn his law degree at Hamline University on a full-ride scholarship. From there, he became a lawyer in Minneapolis.

 

He needed a change because being a lawyer took up his time. It wasn’t the life he wanted. He had a homebrewing hobby and considered brewing as the next step in his career when he started researching distilling. This flipped a switch in his mind, and he started distilling shine in his garage. He and Shanelle rented that space he walked past all those years, and Du Nord Craft Spirits was born, and it became the first black-owned legal distillery in the country.

 

“Distilling in Black communities is older than the United States, but when it came time to build the nation's commercial breweries and distilleries, Black people were specifically excluded. Du Nord is the first fully-operational Black-owned distillery to be federally licensed, but we follow a long tradition of distilling in the Black community. We’re working hard to diversify the industry, dedicating our time to organizations like The Step Up Foundation, so hopefully you will be seeing more Black-owned distilleries soon!” – Du Nord Social Spirits

 

That’s not the end of the story. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd’s murder happened right there. It didn’t occur just in the same city but on the same block, and the entire nation went through an upheaval.

 

Chris and his team are big on diversity. That’s a significant part of the entire business. They formed the Du Nord Foundation, whose mission was to tackle racial and economic injustice issues in Minneapolis. And, because social issues were at the forefront, Du Nord Craft Spirits was rebranded as Du Nord Social Spirits.

 

Today I’m exploring Du Nord’s flagship whiskey: Mixed Blood Whiskey. There isn’t much information disclosed besides some of Du Nord’s high-rye Bourbon distillate blended with “whiskeys of other houses.” I love how Du Nord crafted a better term for sourcing! Mixed Blood Whiskey is bottled at 40% ABV (80°), carries no age statement, and you’ll pay about $40.00 for a 750ml package.

 

My curiosity is piqued. Yet, before proceeding further, I must thank Du Nord Social Spirits for providing me with a sample of Mixed Blood Whiskey in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and find out more.

 

Appearance: I sipped this whiskey neat from my Glencairn glass, which presented as dull and brassy. A thick rim kept collapsing under its weight, causing the whiskey inside to run back to the pool of liquid sunshine.

 

Nose: The aroma smelled of freshly-sawn cedar, corn, caramel, cherry, and apple. As I inhaled through my lips, I tasted apples and white grapes.

 

Palate: A thick, creamy texture filled my mouth. The front of my palate pulled charred oak, rich caramel, and vanilla. Midway through, I encountered young oak and molasses. The back was spicy with black pepper, rye, and dry oak.

 

Finish: Dry oak carried through to the finish. It was joined by black pepper and cinnamon. Molasses struggled to push through the spice notes, but that was in vain. It was medium-short in duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The nose was intriguing; its fruitiness commanded my attention. The palate was unbalanced, with too much emphasis on wood. Caramel and molasses tried their best against it but lost that battle. I’m unsure if it is a matter of aging, proofing, or just a tweaking of the formula (nothing suggests even what types those “other house” whiskeys are) to level things out. In its current form, you should try Mixed Blood Whiskey at a Bar before committing to a purchase. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.