Taste Test: This Blended Whiskey Was Made to Advance Diversity in the Spirits Industry. Is It Actually Good?

American single malts have gained traction in recent years, with a majority of them made in the US coming from the craft distillery community. While production methods vary slightly the whiskey is always made from 100 percent malted barley and aged in oak barrels, both new and used. In addition to promoting their own products, some distilleries have stepped up their altruism as well, seemingly in response to current events over the past few years as much as their innate moral compass. Good Deeds Malt Whiskey is the most recent example of this movement.

Good Deeds is a collaboration between 10 craft distilleries, each of which has donated some whiskey to the blend—hence, the “malt whiskey” designation instead of “single malt.” What started out as a Facebook group called Good Guys Distillers in 2017 morphed into Good Deeds Spirits this year with a stated mission of collaborating on unique whiskey releases that will benefit different causes in the spirits industry. Or as the press release puts it, “to be a force for good.”...