Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has confirmed that the band will continue selling their Blackened whiskey despite James Hetfield’s struggle with alcohol addiction.
In 2018. Heavy metal giants partnered with master distiller extraordinaire Dave Pickerell to create Blackened, a unique blend of straight American whiskey.
Hammett is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column, saying: “You can’t compare the two things. James‘s struggle to get dry is a completely personal matter mentally and emotionally.
“The fact that we produce, bottle and sell alcohol is totally independent of this,” he added. “It is completely up to you whether you drink or not. And I think I can sell what I want. If I were a diabetic, that wouldn’t mean that I couldn’t sell sweets.”
In October 2019, Hetfield re-entered a treatment program to work on his recovery from alcohol addiction. Due to that, band was forced to cancel their Australia and New Zealand tour with Slipknot.