Inside the Bottle: Act two of the cinephile’s whiskey

Filmland Spirits Town at the End of Tomorrow // Photo by Mike Dahlor

This limited small-batch release cements Filmland Spirit’s presence in the whiskey market as a company that takes its whiskey–and the story it tells–seriously. Filmland Spirits blends its whiskey to showcase the story each bottle must share. Sometimes, though, the story comes first. 

Long ago, co-founder and creative director Troy Bolotnick envisioned a scene pitting the future against the past in a battle for good whiskey that echoed across the halls of time. He held this story close to the vest, just waiting for the right liquid to tell it.

When Bolotnick and his team found a honey hole of aged Kentucky bourbon, they knew that the swirling story of time travel, government oversight, and a driving thirst for good whiskey was ready to share. While Filmland Spirits is committed to all their offerings being at least four years old or older, Town at the End of Tomorrow is the only one to bear a 9-year age statement and that plays intrinsically into the story wrapped around, and inside, each bottle of Town at the End of Tomorrow. 

As most whiskey nerds know, a bourbon can become something very special as it approaches (or crosses) that mystical double-digit age. It is this magic “golden hour” flavor profile that drives the liquid in the bottle as well as the story on the label. 

As a self-professed science fiction geek, this bottle’s story resonated deeply with me. As I sipped my way through this sample, I could almost hear Filmland’s leading character Connor Cooper muttering “Take your stinking paws off my bourbon!”  You can find all the supporting cast (including the trailer for this limited offering) on Filmland’s website.

While you can find Filmland Spirits at several fine establishments on the Kansas side of the state line, not all stores have this Town at the End of Tomorrow limited-time offering on the shelf.  Not wanting to play favorites, I encourage you to visit Filmland’s handy store locator and hunt from the comfort of the keyboard. Dive in, complete your collection, and join me in waiting anxiously for the next installment. Now, onto the whiskey!

Filmland Spirits Town at the End of Tomorrow

On the Nose

I am impressed by the depth of this nose, even at 47%. This speaks to the skill of Filmland’s team in blending. I found an interesting seesaw on the nose, alternating between sweet oak and vanilla, then caramel and oak with hints of candied orange peel and dark chocolate, as well as a sweet confectioner’s sugar.

On the Palate

Again, at 47% the palate presents with much more viscosity than expected. The director on set is definitely the soft sweet oak, but the supporting cast includes hints of honey and soft leather notes. Even though the rye flavor grain only clocks in at 13%, there are still little welcomed pops of spice on the tongue. I found small pockets of red-hot candied cinnamon toward the back of the tongue which was an interesting surprise. 

Finish

I found the finish to be medium/short, as I would expect from 47% ABV. That being said, Town at the End of Tomorrow is the most interesting of Filmland Spirit’s 94 proof offerings I’ve had the opportunity to review. The rye/cinnamon spice hangs out the longest, but in a very warming way. There are slight notes of tobacco and the sweet caramel/oak notes show up just toward the end as a perfect curtain call to this pour.

ABV: 47% (94 proof)
Rating: 90
Price: $109.99

Rating Key
90-100: Buy & hoard it. Share it only with whiskey nerds you want to be indebted to you.
70-89: Buy it, enjoy it liberally because you can get more when you want to.
40-69: Worth it to try because you can always make a cocktail if you need to
20-39: Go ahead if you want to, experience is learning.
0-19: You were warned.