Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey

Skrewball is a peanut butter flavored whiskey from the United States, bottled at 35% ABV (70 proof). That is lower than a standard 40% whiskey, and it matters for how the bottle behaves. It is a sweet, soft-edged spirit with less bite than a straight bourbon or rye, and the peanut butter flavor leads. Expect roasted peanut and a creamy, slightly sticky sweetness up front, with a light vanilla and toasted-grain whiskey backbone underneath. Flavored whiskeys like this usually have little oak char or spice, so don't expect the structure of an aged bourbon. Neat or chilled is the simplest way to taste it. Straight from the freezer, the viscosity thickens and the sweetness tightens, which suits sipping. At room temperature the peanut aroma is more pronounced. A single large ice cube in a rocks glass dilutes slowly and keeps it from turning cloying. Because the proof is modest, it needs no water to open it up, though a small splash won't hurt. A Glencairn is worth using if you want to nose the roasted-nut character, but a short rocks glass suits it better for casual sipping. In cocktails, the peanut flavor is the thing to build around. An Old Fashioned made with it works with less sugar than usual, so use a dash of bitters, such as aromatic or chocolate, and skip the sugar cube. A Whiskey Sour needs extra lemon to balance the sweetness. For a Highball, pair it with cola or ginger beer over plenty of ice. Dropped into root beer or cream soda, it tastes close to a peanut butter soda float. A splash in hot chocolate or coffee also works, as does a pour over vanilla ice cream. For food, it matches desserts that already lean on peanut: chocolate brownies, banana bread, salted caramel, or anything with jelly or berry flavors that echo a PB&J.