Lately there have been an growing variety of whisky producers utilizing unorthodox casks for maturation. A brand new experimental method has seen many transfer away from conventional ex-bourbon or ex-sherry casks and in a extra progressive and inventive route.
Ending is the method the place a whisky is moved from one cask sort to a different extra expressive cask sort for a brief interval. This enables additional layers of flavour to be added with out the second cask dominating the spirit too closely.
The current easing of laws in a few of the world’s greatest whisky making international locations, similar to Scotland and America, has led to some great new merchandise hitting the market. Producers are actually pondering outdoors the field as quite a lot of beer, wine and spirit casks have change into out there.
Time to open your thoughts? Right here, we choose eight of the tastiest, greatest, and quirkiest examples on the market.
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Maple Rye
When the Catoctin Creek distillery was based in 2009 it was the primary to open in Loudon County, Virginia because the Prohibition period. They’re a part of an American craft distilling motion bringing rye whiskey again to prominence and their identify is taken from the native Kittocton individuals.
Roundstone Rye is launched in small batches and completely different guises. One of many extra unorthodox bottlings featured part-maturation in ex-maple syrup barrels. It proved so well-liked that it’s now launched every year.
Think about sturdy cereals and warming spices alongside intense sugary sweetness and hints of caramel and toffee. So decadent.
Buy now at The Whisky Exchange
DS Tayman Linkwood 12 Years Outdated
Wine casks, significantly these used to mature pink or fortified kinds, have change into more and more well-liked in the previous couple of years. Nonetheless, what stays uncommon is the usage of Kosher wine casks. That is what unbiased bottler DS Tayman are ending their vary of Scotch single cask single malts in.
The barrels are sourced from Tulip, a Kosher vineyard in northern Israel, and have beforehand held Syrah wine. This underrated Speysider from the Linkwood distillery has been completed in such a cask and is beautiful.
Count on notes of pink apple, brown sugar and milk chocolate mingling with stewed fruits and orange zest. Such a scrumptious whisky. And it’s Kosher.
Fettercairn Warehouse 14
When the Scotch Whisky Affiliation relaxed their guidelines a number of years in the past, one of many first new cask sorts to look on the Scotch market have been ex-beer casks. There have been a couple of wonderful examples since, with ex-stout barrels proving particularly well-liked. Now the east Highland distillery of Fettercairn have ramped it up a bit with this new launch.
Warehouse 14 is the fifth and last bottling within the model’s cult Warehouse Assortment. It options not one, not two, however three completely different ex-beer cask finishes: pale ale, darkish ale and stout.
Vanilla and chocolate aromas on the nostril grow to be wealthy tropical fruits, cocoa, crème caramel and baking spice on the palate. Warming and wealthy.
Lark Chinotto Cask
The Lark distillery in Tasmania was one of many pioneers of the Australian whisky scene within the Nineties. In actual fact, Invoice Lark was the primary individual to take out a distilling licence within the state for over 150 years. Now the award-winning distillery and vary of single malt whiskies have celebrated their thirtieth anniversary.
Arguably the quirkiest entry on this listing is the Lark Chinotto Cask. Chinotto is a cola-like soda drink constituted of chinotto, a kind of bittersweet citrus fruit. Lark have seasoned casks with their Coal Valley chinotto after which crammed them with flippantly peated single malt.
The end result will blow your thoughts. Count on notes of bitter orange, myrtle, and earthy spices.
Mackmyra Björksav
The progressive Swedish distillery of Mackmyra have been one of many true advocates of the extraordinary cask over the past 20 years. From early of their historical past, they have been experimenting with quirky barrel and wooden sorts to boost their expressive spirit. They usually present no indicators of slowing down.
Björksav is one such whisky, launched as a part of Mackmyra’s Seasonal Vary a few years in the past. A number of completely different casks have been married collectively, however the primary participant was ex-birch sap wine barrels sourced from Swedish artisanal vineyard Grythyttan Vin.
The result’s a vibrant and vibrant whisky with notes of inexperienced apple, golden syrup, pepper and natural freshness.
Smokehead Terminado
The Smokehead single malt vary has been pushing boundaries for some time now and Terminado is the newest restricted version to take action. Earlier expressions of the Islay single malt have explored differing cask sorts, similar to ex-rum and ex-stout beer barrels, however this takes it a step additional with a ending interval in ex-tequila casks from Jalisco in Mexico.
The combination of basic medicinal Islay peat smoke and herbaceous notes from the tequila cask create a heady combine. Candy marshmallow and meringue traits are joined by confected and caramelised tropical fruit notes. These are complemented completely with acrid and earthy smoke that licks round every thing and lingers for ages.
Starward Ginger Beer Cask
The Starward distillery in Melbourne was on the forefront of kickstarting the now-vibrant Australian whisky scene. A part of their ethos was to look outdoors of the traditions of whisky making and make their merchandise accessible to all. From this grew their experimental Initiatives Collection, which has featured some really cult expressions.
One such whisky is the Ginger Beer Cask. Initially matured in ex-red wine and ex-Apera casks (Apera is an Australian fortified wine like sherry), the spirit is transferred to barrels that beforehand held Starward’s own-brewed ginger beer.
The extreme end result provides loads of ginger cake and gingerbread vibes supported by vanilla, cocoa and a pinch of baking spice.
Stauning El Clásico
Very like their fellow Scandinavians at Mackmyra, Stauning have been gaining a reputation for good whisky and attention-grabbing cask maturation. Their progressive Analysis Collection has seen some funky expressions to this point and El Clásico is likely one of the greatest. The mixture of rye whisky with Spanish white vermouth casks is scrumptious.
The rye used to make the whisky is grown inside a stone’s throw of the distillery, situated on the west coast of Denmark. The earthy and peppery nature of the spirit is enhanced splendidly with the contemporary and vibrant notes from the ex-vermouth casks.
Count on bittersweet cereals and delicate oak with vanilla, honey, and a touch of candied lime.
