Skip to main content

Amber & Opal whiskey boasts flavors of honey and fig

A flavorful rye whiskey from co-owners including Ja Rule

amber opal whiskey
Amber & Opal Image used with permission by copyright holder

Whiskey is in many ways a spirit of tradition. Because of its long aging process, it has to be distilled years or even decades before it is ready to be released, so it’s often put forward by well-established names who have a firm idea of what whiskey should be based on their prior experience. But there can be flexibility and unusual approaches within the whiskey industry, and a new honey botanical whiskey attempts to demonstrate that.

Amber & Opal is a rye-based whiskey from Maryland which is aged for two years in medium-charred, American oak barrels and boasts flavors of honey, black tea, and botanicals like fig and ginger. It has an abv of 40% and is suitable for sipping neat or for combining with mixers, which could be a good way for newer whiskey drinkers to get into the spirit in a more accessible way.

Recommended Videos

As a Black-owned brand, including stakes from rapper Ja Rule, the creators say they are looking to bring diverse people together through a love of whiskey.

“The name Amber & Opal reflects the richness and diversity of our whiskey and community,” said Herb Rice, co-founder of Amber & Opal. “The rich Amber hue symbolizes warmth, tradition and the golden moments we share with loved ones. Opal represents the beautiful diversity and inclusivity we celebrate. Whether you’re a seasoned whiskey connoisseur or a curious newcomer, Amber & Opal promises to deliver a rich and unique experience that will elevate any occasion.”

The whiskey has just been announced and will be available from winter this year.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…
Our favorite rum drinks, ranked
One of these rummy drinks might become your go-to
Rum cocktail

Rum is produced all over the world from Louisiana to the Philippines, but its heart is in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Barbados, and many other islands are cranking out amazing, high-quality, nuanced rums.

There are few spirits more versatile than rum. This distilled spirit is made by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice or molasses to make a clear, sweet liquor. It’s then bottled immediately or aged in charred oak barrels. Because of its complex flavors of sweet vanilla, caramel, oak, and spices, it’s a great spirit to mix and create your favorite rum drinks.
Advice from the experts

Read more
Sweet and tasty cocktails to make with your chocolate whiskey
Chocolate and whiskey is a classic combination - why not put them in one drink?
Love Bomb

Whiskey can be a love it or hate it sort of spirit. With its high abv, strong flavors, and often heavily peated notes, it's the kind of drink that some people are immediately drawn to while others find difficult to handle. If you're in the latter group, though, don't assume that all whiskeys are heavy peat bombs that you'll never enjoy.

There's a growing group of high quality flavored whiskeys available on the market now. These aren't the overly sweet Fireball-esque concoctions of your youth, but a more nuanced take on whiskey with careful additions that can be more welcoming to new drinkers. Options like Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey might appeal to those with a hankering for some chocolate goodness, and we have recipes for how to use this spirit in cocktails.
Love Bomb
Ingredients:

Read more
Celebrate a new recognized whiskey style with cocktails for American Single Malts
Now an officially recognized category, here are recipes for this style
“1” Old Fashioned

When you hear "single malt," your mind likely goes straight to Scotches -- and certainly, Scotland has been producing some of the best known single malt whiskeys for hundreds of years. But a growing interest in whiskey in the US has kicked off a wave of American distilleries producing their own American Single Malts, which were recently ratified into a category of their own by the US government's Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau.

To celebrate the recognition of this category, American single malt producer Balcones crafted their own cocktail -- called, of course, Sweet Ratification. It's a pecan-packed nutty taken on the Old Fashioned, and along with a couple of other cocktail suggestions, these are the perfect way to cheer on this new and emerging whiskey style for National Whiskey Day.
Sweet Ratification

Read more