Arcane Distilling introduced its second flagship whiskey, Arcane Imperial. Distilled from an Imperial Stout, Arcane Imperial is a full-bodied whiskey good for both classic whiskey cocktails or enjoying neat.

Arcane Imperial joins Arcane Alpha in the portfolio, a whiskey distilled from a triple IPA loaded with bright, citrusy hops, which launched earlier this summer. Together they offer two distinctly flavorful experiences that appeal to both the whiskey lover and beer aficionado.

Arcane Distilling is a new type of distillery that lives at the intersection of beer and whiskey. The result is a whiskey with rich, dark chocolate aroma, with notes of caramel and toffee. It is bottled at 83 Proof (41.5% ABV) and retails for $45.99 for 750ml.

The entire approach to brewing differs greatly from a traditional whiskey distiller, where the goal is often to maximize the alcohol content in their “distiller’s beer.” Rather, the Arcane approach is to make the most flavorful craft beer possible to produce the most flavorful whiskey possible. Using only premium malted barley and hops – the same ingredients you would find at a craft brewery – and fermenting with a particularly flavor-forward yeast called kviek, they brew beers that not only transform into great whiskey, but also taste great on their own.

Because so many of the aromas and flavors of beer are delicate and volatile, traditional distillation would all but destroy them when boiling beer to evaporate the alcohol. Under vacuum, however, alcohol evaporates at a much lower temperature.

Arcane’s custom-designed vacuum still operates at room temperature, allowing the system to preserve and collect those volatile aroma and flavor compounds. Further, Arcane’s still is equipped with three auxiliary condensers, one of which operates at -30 degrees Celsius, and is designed to capture exceptionally flavorful but extremely volatile compounds that cannot be captured in a traditional still.

Through its highly efficient mash filter press, which separates the wort from grain solids in the brewing process and is largely unheard of within the world of distilling, Arcane uses 15% less grain than traditional whiskeys, and 30% less water. As a result, Arcane’s spent grain is also much drier following this process, requiring fewer trucks and significantly less fossil fuel to haul.

Likewise, Arcane’s electric vacuum still dramatically concentrates flavors and aromas while using ⅓ of the energy of traditional distilleries, which usually rely on gas steam boilers.