Talking Wine Cask Maturation & Our Brand New Series MMXXI
Whoever said ‘never mix the grape and the grain’?!
I’ve often said that at That Boutique-y Whisky Company we don’t finish our whiskies, apart from what’s in our glass, of course. However since having our own bottling hall, and having the good Dr. Whisky on board, it’s been something that has been screaming out to us.
So. I’m bloody excited to tell you about our Wine Cask Series. A collection of ten whiskies from right around the world. Whiskies from Scandinavia, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The common theme: wine casks have been used, either for finishing or full maturation. Some, certainly within the accompanying Scotch Whiskies, we’ve had a hand in.
There are four brand new whisky labels from the pen of Emily Chappell, and our collection includes our first ever whisky produced in Canada, as well as our first Italian malt whisky too.
As for the accompanying Scotch whiskies, we have a kick-ass collection of single malts, and a single grain from a closed distillery, all being released at the same time.
So, why a wine cask series?
For a very long time, ex-sherry casks were the standard maturation casks for Scotch whisky. In the 1850s for example, 90% of the wine imported into the UK was Sherry and Port - all shipped in cask. This practice of shipping Sherry in cask to the UK continued up until the early 1980s, when the regulators in Jerez, decided to prohibit the bottling of wines outside the production zone. Today, the ex-Bourbon cask is the standard cask used in Scotch whisky production. Sherry seasoned casks have to be specially prepared, and as such these casks are much more expensive.
What’s the effect of wine cask maturation?
Changes in flavour, definitely, and each style of wine cask imparts its character to a maturing spirit. Changes in colour too can occur, but not always.
Oloroso Sherry (a fortified wine) is probably the most common wine cask used in maturation nowadays. Whiskies matured in Oloroso casks usually taking up the darker flavours and the nuttiness from the Sherry. Dark flavours? Think figs, raisins, chocolate, coffee…
Pedro Ximenez (PX) cask maturation gives whisky extra ‘sherry sweetness’. It also adds flavours of dried fruits, with raisins leading, and an oily smoothness in mouthfeel, somewhat akin to syrup.
Boutique-y Whisky’s Wine Cask Series 2021 releases
HEADLINERS
Armorik Batch 2, 5 Year Old Single Malt, 46.4% ABV 258 Bottles RRP £69.95
This second release from France’s first whisky distillery is from a Sauternes Wine Cask, one of the most popular French dessert wines, from the Sauternes region of Bordeaux.
Sauternes is made from grapes which have undergone ‘noble rot’, causing their moisture to evaporate, hence concentrating the sugars. The sauternes cask brings sweetness and complexity to the mature spirit. Expect fruits like apricots and peaches; you may also find honey or nuts.
N: Fragrant honey and summer fruits. Peaches and apricots. Meadow grasses and wildflowers.
P: Richer honey notes on the palate, along with some wood spice. Orchard fruits, and warming spices
Balcones Batch 4, Blue Corn Spirit, 50% ABV 269 Bottles RRP £69.95
Whilst we have previously bottled single malt whisky from Balcones, this is our first Texan Blue Corn whisky. OK, it’s two years old, so technically it’s not a whisky (don’t get me started!) and so labeled as a ‘corn spirit’
This spirit has been made using roast Hopi blue corn that's been smoked using their ‘Brimstone’ process, a unique process of smoking the whisky using Texan scrub oak. Isn’t that delightful?! It’s been matured in a PX Sherry cask. The result is a whisky full of fresh, youthful corn and light fruit notes married with a bold smokiness.
N: Blackberries, blackcurrants, liquorice, treacle, with hints of dark chocolate and scorched wood
P: Sweet and fruity, with prunes, dates, figs, and raisins. Hints of coffee and tobacco, and as the wood spices build, a woody smokiness comes through.
Black Gate Batch 2, 3 Year Old Single Malt, 46.1% ABV 307 Bottles RRP £109.95
One of our very successful ‘Australia Series’ whiskies, this is the second cask we bought from Brian and Genise Hollingsworth’s Black Gate Distillery.
This release comes from a ‘solera style’ vatting of casks, all of which were ex-port. A minimum age of three years, although much of the liquid is older. Tawny Port also offers notes of nuts, caramel and chocolate; sometimes even some light flavours of tobacco result from the maturing in oak casks. With increasing age, the fresh fruit aromas are transforming into those of dried fruits and raisins.
N: Fragrant, with Summer hedgerow blossom, fruit syrup, and nutty chocolate bars.
P: Fruit syrup with plum, cherry, and hints of wild strawberry. Fragrant pipe tobacco and hints of burnt sugar. Herbal notes in the finish
Corn Whisky #1 Batch 1, 5 Year Old Corn Whisky, 47.7% ABV 310 Bottles RRP £32.95
Some of the best corn whisky in the world comes from Canada, and I’m really excited to have this: our first whisky from Canada in our Boutique-y collection. It’s also one we’ve had a hand in ‘finishing’.
Due to our ‘finishing’ we’re not allowed to label this a Canadian Whisky (or in writing) but it is a corn whisky that has been produced in Canada - hence ‘Product of Canada’ appears on the label. Our 5 Year Old corn whisky has been finished in ex-Oloroso casks.
N: Light and buttery, with fresh plums and brambles. Notes of hazelnut and leather too
P: Bright, sweet and creamy with lots of buttery vanilla, and juicy Victoria plums. Wood spices with some pepper lingering in the finish
Elsburn Batch 2, 3 Year Old Single Malt, 48.8% ABV 433 Bottles RRP £99.95
Our second batch from this German distillery. Elsburn whisky is so popular in Germany (people queue down the street for special releases) that it's rarely seen on the international stage.
Our 3 Year Old has been matured in an ex-Marsala Wine cask. Marsala is a fortified dessert wine from Italy, and here’s a great example of using this type of cask to mature whisky, imparting oodles of deep, fruity and nutty aromas.
N: Rich dark chocolate, black cherries, sweet pipe tobacco and walnut oil. There's a hint of smoky charred wood too.
P: Beautifully balanced. Rich and viscous, with more black cherry, juicy dates, and bitter dark chocolate.
English Whisky Co. Batch 4, 9 Year Old, 67% ABV 362 Bottles RRP £79.95
The English Whisky Company led the new wave of English whisky makers when they released the first English single malt for more than a hundred years, from their Norfolk distillery, way back in 2009.
This 9 Year Old heavily-peated malt has seen its full maturation in an Oloroso Sherry cask, and we’ve bottled it at cask strength.
N: Dried fruits; dates, raisins, figs, and plain chocolate Digestive biscuits. A sooty, slightly saline smoke follows.
P: Dry, hints of coffee grounds, dark chocolate, fresh ginger, and salted dried plums. Waves of peat smoke build into the peppery finish.
Puni Batch 1, 4 Year Old Malt Whisky, 47.3% ABV 346 Bottles RRP £74.95
Our first Italian Whisky from Italy’s first whisky distillery. Puni produces malt whisky, but malted barley is only one of the three cereals in the recipe. The other two are malted rye, and malted wheat. They have, since 2016, also been producing 100% malted barley spirit too.
Our release uses their triple-malt ‘mashbill’, and has been matured in an ex-bourbon barrel; finished in a Pinot Noir Cask, which has increased the fruitiness, freshness and has brought a bit of dryness to the mix.
N: Light berry fruitiness; strawberry, raspberry, redcurrent. Buttery vanilla, with just a hint of green banana, and coconut too.
P: Creamy maltiness, vanilla, confectionary sweetness; foam shrimps, foam bananas, strawberry Chewits, and a hint of white chocolate.
Destillerie Ralf Hauer Batch 1, 4 Year Old Single Malt, 64.1% ABV 334 Bottles RRP £69.95
The original licence to distill at this German distillery was granted in 1602! Distilling from grain was forbidden on that licence, but plans for their whisky distillery were drawn up just a little later, in 2009.
Their own whisky is released under the name Saillt Mòr [sɛːlt moːr] which comes from Gaelic and means “large saltworks” - the largest of the former 7 salines (graduation towers) ran on the site of the distillery today.
Our expression of ‘Saillt Mòr’ has been matured in an ex-sherry cask, with a Bourbon cask finish - oddly the opposite order of approach to convention. We’ve bottled it at cask strength too. (You might notice that little gold foil triangle in the top left of the label - NCS - Natural Cask Strength.)
N: Salty, herbal, bracken, leafy, forest floor, oak, spices, raspberry leaves.
P: Creamy vanilla, and wood spices. Berry fruit follows. Herbal, green, spicy finish
Teerenpeli Batch 1, 5 Year Old Single Malt, 47.6% ABV 376 Bottles RRP £69.95
Teerenpeli is Finland’s largest distillery specialised in producing single malt whiskies. Casks are matured in 40-foot ex-reefer sea containers, which sit outside the distillery without heating or cooling. Outside temperatures vary wildly throughout the year, from -35C to +30C. Their malted barley is sourced locally from grain grown no more than 150km from the site.
Our release has had its full maturation in a Spanish ex-Oloroso Sherry cask, which really does bring out those darker flavours.
N: Rich and fruity with a distinct nuttiness. Fruit cake with candied fruits. Hints of burnt sugar, cinnamon and liquorice.
P: Rich and viscous with caramelised fruits - plum and banana? Creamy fudge sweetness, hints of liquorice and a lick of aniseed.
Willowbank Batch 2, 18 Year Old New Zealand Blended Whisky, 50.5% ABV 456 Bottles RRP £159.95
Willowbank was once the most southerly distillery in the world, producing highly regarded Milford and Lammerlaw Single Malt Whisky. The distillery produced both malt and grain, producing such popular whiskies as Wilsons and 45 South. The distillery closed in 1997, and stocks must surely be getting scarcer these days.
This release has been matured in ex-red-wine casks, which has brought intense fruity aromas of blackberry and other dark fruits, combined with dark chocolate, tobacco and wood.
N: Deliciously fruity, with blackberries and blackcurrants. Leather and dark chocolate. Earthy woodiness. ‘Rancio’ too.
P: Chocolate and cherry in a Black Forest Gateau. The tannins come through towards the finish, leaving the mouth very dry.
WINE CASK SERIES SCOTCH WHISKIES
Alongside the Wine Cask Series releases - of course - we have a kick-ass Scotch Whisky release of seven bottlings that, where possible, have had some wine cask influence in maturation too.
SPEYSIDE
Balmenach Batch 11, 8 Year Old - Oloroso Sherry cask finished. Always a favourite with the Boutique-y team, this whisky is a bold, buttery beauty. RRP £39.95
Glenrothes Batch 11, 12 Year Old - Oloroso Sherry cask finished, and bottled at cask strength. Simply divine, and wonderfully balanced. RRP £46.95
HIGHLAND
Blair Athol Batch 13, 14 Year Old - Oloroso Sherry cask finished. Rarely seen as a single malt in its own right, it has appeared as a member of the Flora & Fauna range. RRP £46.95
Macduff Batch 7, 21 Year Old - A glorious Sherry Butt matured Macduff!. RRP £109.95
Inchmurrin Batch 6, 22 Year Old - Bourbon barrels. Inchmurrin is one of several single malts produced at the versatile Loch Lomond distillery in Alexandria, using unique pot stills, and producing a whisky that, typically, is lightly floral and grassy. RRP £119.95
CAMPBELTOWN
From Campbeltown, there’s a 6 Year Old Blended Malt, - Oloroso Sherry cask finished. You’ll notice this is labelled as a ‘Blended Malt’ but you should also see some spoons. Yes, this is a ‘teaspooned’ malt, from Campbeltown. With only three distilleries in this once booming whisky town, you’ll quickly recognise the provenance of the 99.999…% of this ‘blend’. RRP £39.95
SINGLE GRAIN
To complete the line up, a single grain from the long-closed Cambus distillery. Batch 13, 30 Years Old, from a vatting of hogsheads. RRP £119.95
So within this latest series release, there should be plenty to tempt you here, especially if you love a sherry finish whisky. Perfect for the long dark evenings, ideally around a fire.
Boutique-y Pete and I ran through the complete Wine Cask Series release in our Tots and Drams episode that you can catch up on below:
Slàinte!
Boutique-y Dave x
These latest releases will be available from all the finest retailers now!
Off-trade/on-trade enquiries should be directed to our UK distributor; Maverick Drinks.