How Sherry Became the Secret to Great Scotch(atlasobscura.com)
atlasobscura.com
How Sherry Became the Secret to Great Scotch
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-great-scotch-needs-sherry
73 comments
On NAS bottlings: My girlfriend is in the Scotch whisky industry and tells me that among some circles, Compass Box's "transparency campaign" has been gaining some supporters.
Occasionally, (apparently) you'll find a NAS is actually comprised 80% of some 18 year old or 25 year old stuff but the master blender has added some 5 year old (say) not because of shortage but because it improves flavour. Of course then you need to sell that either as a 5 year old blended whisky or not mention its age at all. Frustrating for marketers and consumers alike, because one person can't say what they are selling other than the promise of high quality, and the other side has no real idea what they are buying (because the marketing would claim high quality regardless).
A few years back Compass Box, finding themselves in this situation, published the full recipe for one of their blends online (not even on the packaging) and this was found to be in contravention of EU regulations. They launched a campaign to have this rule relaxed in the case where full recipes are posted.
Another side to it is that the current rules might be considered by some to give an unfair advantage to your massive conglomerates i.e. Diageo and Pernod-Ricard who have massive purchasing power over the "old stuff".
I see both sides of the argument: on the one hand it's hard to feel like people are misled by a full and accurate recipe being posted. But maybe it carries with it that because your blend is comprised <qualitatively high number>% 18 year old then your average consumer might decide it is of comparable quality to a straight 18 year old even if you've mixed in some paint thinner.
My take is that Compass Box's particular situation is different than that of the distillers as they blend off the shelf whisky. They would be saying "we blended 18 year old Glenlivet with 12 year old macallan" as opposed to "we took some of an 18 year old cask and some of a 12 year old cask" - I think it's less clear that the latter is a recipe than the former.
(All this isn't to say lack of stock isn't a problem - it is and it is the main reason for NAS - just not always the only reason.)
Occasionally, (apparently) you'll find a NAS is actually comprised 80% of some 18 year old or 25 year old stuff but the master blender has added some 5 year old (say) not because of shortage but because it improves flavour. Of course then you need to sell that either as a 5 year old blended whisky or not mention its age at all. Frustrating for marketers and consumers alike, because one person can't say what they are selling other than the promise of high quality, and the other side has no real idea what they are buying (because the marketing would claim high quality regardless).
A few years back Compass Box, finding themselves in this situation, published the full recipe for one of their blends online (not even on the packaging) and this was found to be in contravention of EU regulations. They launched a campaign to have this rule relaxed in the case where full recipes are posted.
Another side to it is that the current rules might be considered by some to give an unfair advantage to your massive conglomerates i.e. Diageo and Pernod-Ricard who have massive purchasing power over the "old stuff".
I see both sides of the argument: on the one hand it's hard to feel like people are misled by a full and accurate recipe being posted. But maybe it carries with it that because your blend is comprised <qualitatively high number>% 18 year old then your average consumer might decide it is of comparable quality to a straight 18 year old even if you've mixed in some paint thinner.
My take is that Compass Box's particular situation is different than that of the distillers as they blend off the shelf whisky. They would be saying "we blended 18 year old Glenlivet with 12 year old macallan" as opposed to "we took some of an 18 year old cask and some of a 12 year old cask" - I think it's less clear that the latter is a recipe than the former.
(All this isn't to say lack of stock isn't a problem - it is and it is the main reason for NAS - just not always the only reason.)
For me, the problem of NAS is that it breaks the easy marketing message of older==pricier . That used to be an eas'ish way to justify high prices for various bottles.
Now you have a situation where it can be just marketing fluff that causes a large increase in cost, which could lead to a market for lemons emerging...
Now you have a situation where it can be just marketing fluff that causes a large increase in cost, which could lead to a market for lemons emerging...
Age has never really been a reliable indicator of quality, though.
true but it's the only approximation of one that was available and it was at least objective, and it also to an extent measured cost (the more years it matures the more the costs increase)
Now you just have the ever more fancy boxes and words of marketing department to assess whether a given bottle is worth the price tag...
The concern here is that this opens the door to companies who are good at marketing and not so great at creating good whisky..
Now you just have the ever more fancy boxes and words of marketing department to assess whether a given bottle is worth the price tag...
The concern here is that this opens the door to companies who are good at marketing and not so great at creating good whisky..
> Aberlour A’bunadh
Where are you getting cheap Aberlour A'bunadh?? It's my favorite scotch but I cannot find it for less than 2 to 3 times the price of Macallan 12.
Also, Glenmorangie is a delicious sherry scotch. Tastes a lot like Macallan and usually cheaper.
> The big trend in Scotch is towards “no age statement” (NAS) bottlings, because Scotland is not keeping up with resurgent global demand. NAS bottles are younger spirits, but tend to have more interesting casks, which is a bonus if sherried whiskies are what you’re into.
Interestingly, Macallan in the US still has an age statement. This, however, is not the case in other countries. They have names instead (like "Ruby").
Where are you getting cheap Aberlour A'bunadh?? It's my favorite scotch but I cannot find it for less than 2 to 3 times the price of Macallan 12.
Also, Glenmorangie is a delicious sherry scotch. Tastes a lot like Macallan and usually cheaper.
> The big trend in Scotch is towards “no age statement” (NAS) bottlings, because Scotland is not keeping up with resurgent global demand. NAS bottles are younger spirits, but tend to have more interesting casks, which is a bonus if sherried whiskies are what you’re into.
Interestingly, Macallan in the US still has an age statement. This, however, is not the case in other countries. They have names instead (like "Ruby").
> Interestingly, Macallan in the US still has an age statement. This, however, is not the case in other countries.
I wonder if this is because the USA allows it? In a country where you can sell Argentine cheese as Parmesan and Oklahoma beef as being from Kobe, it doesn't seem like a stretch that you could sell 3-year-old coloured vodka as fine 18-year-old Scotch whisky.
I wonder if this is because the USA allows it? In a country where you can sell Argentine cheese as Parmesan and Oklahoma beef as being from Kobe, it doesn't seem like a stretch that you could sell 3-year-old coloured vodka as fine 18-year-old Scotch whisky.
Glenmorangie isn't sherried unless you get the "La Santa" version, which I don't think is as good as the original, and then it's only finished for two years in sherry casks after the usual maturation in bourbon casks.
Aberlour A'bunadh is great, as noted, as is Glendrodach, but they've run out of 15 year old casks, and the 18 isn't enough better to justify the price hike.
Another favorite is the Bunnahabhain 18, a non-peaty, sherried Islay whisky.
Aberlour A'bunadh is great, as noted, as is Glendrodach, but they've run out of 15 year old casks, and the 18 isn't enough better to justify the price hike.
Another favorite is the Bunnahabhain 18, a non-peaty, sherried Islay whisky.
Australian prices:
Aberlour A'bunadh $140 (Dan Murphy's, so pretty much everywhere)
Bunnahabhain 18 $199.00 (Nicks, mail order only)
Glenmorangie Original $80 (Dan Murphy)
It's actually not that much higher that US prices, which is surprising
Aberlour A'bunadh $140 (Dan Murphy's, so pretty much everywhere)
Bunnahabhain 18 $199.00 (Nicks, mail order only)
Glenmorangie Original $80 (Dan Murphy)
It's actually not that much higher that US prices, which is surprising
The US particularly has high "sin" taxes on alcohol. I live in Germany, which has lower taxes on alcohol than the US and Scotland, so ironically, both bourbon and Scotch whisky are cheaper than in their home countries:
These are the lowest prices for each in the 3 places I usually buy stuff online:
Aberlour A'bunadh: €53 ($61 / AUD 84)
Bunnahabhain 18: €91 ($105 / AUD 144)
Glenmorangie Original: €29 ($34 / AUD 46)
The Aberlour has gotten back down (interestingly) to what it used to be when I started buying it about 7 years ago. Glenmorangie used to be €25 at the grocery store. And the Bunnahabhain used to be about €65 when I found it.
These are the lowest prices for each in the 3 places I usually buy stuff online:
Aberlour A'bunadh: €53 ($61 / AUD 84)
Bunnahabhain 18: €91 ($105 / AUD 144)
Glenmorangie Original: €29 ($34 / AUD 46)
The Aberlour has gotten back down (interestingly) to what it used to be when I started buying it about 7 years ago. Glenmorangie used to be €25 at the grocery store. And the Bunnahabhain used to be about €65 when I found it.
> Where are you getting cheap Aberlour A'bunadh?? It's my favorite scotch but I cannot find it for less than 2 to 3 times the price of Macallan 12.
I was going to ask that, as well. :-) In Chicagoland at least, there isn't a huge price difference, though ($67 for Macallan 12, $90 for A'bunadh). On the other hand, last time I had a bottle of A'bunadh, it was in the $60-$65 range.
Fortunately, being cask strength, the A'bunadh bottle can go farther, provided you dilute it properly.
While I like the Speyside style, I like peated Islays as well. I'm interested in the Lagavulin 8 - the 16 is still just a bit too dear (though down in price from a few years ago).
I was going to ask that, as well. :-) In Chicagoland at least, there isn't a huge price difference, though ($67 for Macallan 12, $90 for A'bunadh). On the other hand, last time I had a bottle of A'bunadh, it was in the $60-$65 range.
Fortunately, being cask strength, the A'bunadh bottle can go farther, provided you dilute it properly.
While I like the Speyside style, I like peated Islays as well. I'm interested in the Lagavulin 8 - the 16 is still just a bit too dear (though down in price from a few years ago).
I suspect you're in the US but for Europeans whiskyauction.com
is interesting. See https://whiskyauction.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.pl?action=...
for Aberlour A'bunadh for instance. I don't know anything about price differences between EU and US.
Weird. I just paid mid-60s for a bottle, from Binnys, off Instacart no less, but yeah the price right now is just shy of $90.
It’s not worth $90. You can get a Dronach for that much.
A good relatively inexpensive sherry Speyside is Dailuane (in my experience only the cheap Dailuanes are good).
It’s not worth $90. You can get a Dronach for that much.
A good relatively inexpensive sherry Speyside is Dailuane (in my experience only the cheap Dailuanes are good).
Whisky became hip in the last 5-ish years and all of the stuff I used to recommend to people has gotten too expensive. I've expanded significantly towards other matured spirits where the prices haven't gotten as redonkulous yet: rum, brandy, and even some good tequila.
Weird side effect: I found Scottish whiskeys were cheaper in Japan for the past 5 years compared to the US. That and buying in a spirit's native country saves me a chunk of change. I'm almost out of good rum, so I might need to plan my next vacation to the Caribbean..
Go Barbados or Jamaica.
Even here in the ABC state of NC A'bunadh is readily available and goes for about $87+tax. Macallan 12 is about$65-70.
ABC NC prices are reasonable. It's the selection that sucks. I guess you can always order a case on their special order form if it's something you really want, but I've never tried that.
I'm annoyed that even though the warehouse is right here in Raleigh, many of the local stores have crappy selection. I don't even understand why the selection varies between stores, especially within a county, since they are all state run.
I'm annoyed that even though the warehouse is right here in Raleigh, many of the local stores have crappy selection. I don't even understand why the selection varies between stores, especially within a county, since they are all state run.
Or cheaper Glendronach for that matter? It's 40-60% more expensive than Macallan here.
Than Mac 12! Yeah, sorry: Mac 12 is probably a good value. The comparison I’m always seeing made is to Mac 18.
(Actually, Binny’s current Mac 12 price in Chicago appears to be higher than Abunadh or Dronach 12 [which is fantastic]).
(Actually, Binny’s current Mac 12 price in Chicago appears to be higher than Abunadh or Dronach 12 [which is fantastic]).
I wouldn't really call anything Macallan good value. For a basic sherried whiskey Aberlour 12 is just about as good, for substantially less, and for what Macallan 12 goes for these days you have tons of (imo) more interesting/better options.
I will say I had a dram of the 18 in a bar once, and it was indeed very very good, but I can't really justify spending ~$250 bottle for it.
I will say I had a dram of the 18 in a bar once, and it was indeed very very good, but I can't really justify spending ~$250 bottle for it.
interestingly in the UK the prices on those two are pretty much the same (in fact at the moment the Aberlour is a bit cheaper than the Macallan)
A'bunadh is 60% ABV, so it's better value if you add water/drink smaller measures
Lots of Islay distilleries are doing good stuff with sherry casks these days (and also other ex-fortified wine casks).
The Kilchoman distillery is doing some really fascinating stuff, but they've only been open a decade or so it's mostly NAS stuff, but it gets rave reviews.
The Kilchoman distillery is doing some really fascinating stuff, but they've only been open a decade or so it's mostly NAS stuff, but it gets rave reviews.
I've had Kilchoman's port cask and loved it, and brought a bottle of their madeira cask to take with on my vacation --- I like it a lot, though not as much as the port cask. I feel like --- but am probably wrong --- super fancy casks are a relatively new thing in Islay whisky.
I think NAS is a positive step for the whole industry.
I think NAS is a positive step for the whole industry.
Kilchoman is fast rising to the top of my personal list. For the price my goto is their Machir Bay.
A great deal of the flavoring from bourbon casks goes into the bourbon. American straight whiskeys always require new, charred oak. Hmmm, I wonder if any Scotch gets aged in casks that were used for rye whiskey, and how much difference there would be compared to a bourbon cask?
Scotch can be aged in any oak, new or previously used, and more recently, there have been other types of casks (such as port, or French oak) used for either aging or short-term finishing.
Scotch can be aged in any oak, new or previously used, and more recently, there have been other types of casks (such as port, or French oak) used for either aging or short-term finishing.
IMO it seems the boom in various finishes is a response to NAS stuff being the norm and for producers to try and do something different with limited stock.
I've had some wonderful wine finished whiskies - Leoville Barton Green Spot was amazing - and also some horrifying wine finished ones - Chateau Montelena Zinfandel Green Spot was hard to swallow.
For some new producers like Kavalan or Amrut, whose almost entire lines are sherry, ex-bourbon, rum, and port finished casks, it seems like the way to make a dent in the market hype without having to have really good base whiskey.
I'm just waiting for all that noise to be replaced by interesting woods - Quercus Garryana in the PNW of American whiskies is like the IPA of whiskey. Throw in some biology whizzes and the American craft whiskey market is going to be very interesting in the next 10 years.
I've had some wonderful wine finished whiskies - Leoville Barton Green Spot was amazing - and also some horrifying wine finished ones - Chateau Montelena Zinfandel Green Spot was hard to swallow.
For some new producers like Kavalan or Amrut, whose almost entire lines are sherry, ex-bourbon, rum, and port finished casks, it seems like the way to make a dent in the market hype without having to have really good base whiskey.
I'm just waiting for all that noise to be replaced by interesting woods - Quercus Garryana in the PNW of American whiskies is like the IPA of whiskey. Throw in some biology whizzes and the American craft whiskey market is going to be very interesting in the next 10 years.
I doubt there would be much difference between ex-rye and ex-bourbon. The first fill of American spirit strips most of the flavor out of the barrel and doesn’t leave really anything behind. (There’s a cool Woodford Reserve demo bottling you can get that demonstrates this).
In Scotland, ex bourbon barrels go through a process of "rejuvenation" to expose flavor bearing compounds still found deeper in the wood:
"... why not scrape out the inside of the cask and toast it again? After toasting the cask is charred anew, and voilà: You have a new, activated cask. ... A bourbon cask, used for 2 to 4 years in the USA, can be used for another 30 years in Scotland."
https://www.whisky.com/information/knowledge/production/deta...
"... why not scrape out the inside of the cask and toast it again? After toasting the cask is charred anew, and voilà: You have a new, activated cask. ... A bourbon cask, used for 2 to 4 years in the USA, can be used for another 30 years in Scotland."
https://www.whisky.com/information/knowledge/production/deta...
Right, the casks still work, but it's not like aging scotch in William Larue Weller casks works any better than Jim Beam casks. It's just a source of oak.
Until someone tries this and shares a sample with me, I would bet that it would taste great.
yeah. my point was not that bourbon oozes out the pores of the reused barrel.
my point is that if the oak is the same species as that used in bourbon barrels, and if the barrel is charred in a manner similar to a bourbon barrel then the whisky flavor has a greater tendency toward bourbon-like flavor than if sherry or wine barrels or plain, un-charred oak barrels were used.
bourbon barrel availability to scotch producers increased significantly after 1935 when US federal law required single use bourbon barrels, and, more so later in the 20th century when the supply of Spanish sherry barrels dwindled.
my point is that if the oak is the same species as that used in bourbon barrels, and if the barrel is charred in a manner similar to a bourbon barrel then the whisky flavor has a greater tendency toward bourbon-like flavor than if sherry or wine barrels or plain, un-charred oak barrels were used.
bourbon barrel availability to scotch producers increased significantly after 1935 when US federal law required single use bourbon barrels, and, more so later in the 20th century when the supply of Spanish sherry barrels dwindled.
> my mental model is that ex-bourbon casks add basically no flavors other than the wood; I think of them as “neutrally casked“
Typically vanillas, nuts, toffees, woods, caramels, and some cereal notes (other cereal notes from the barley of course, which oak may not drown out as much as the fruitier sherries).
Typically vanillas, nuts, toffees, woods, caramels, and some cereal notes (other cereal notes from the barley of course, which oak may not drown out as much as the fruitier sherries).
Those are all flavors you get when alcohol interacts with charred wood. They're not coming from the bourbon that originally filled the cask, unlike what happens with sherry.
Ah. I misread what you were talking about -- I though you were implying that the cask itself imparted no flavor for some reason. You were instead saying that with ex-bourbon casks, the previous spirit content imparts very little (if any) flavor. I agree!
From what I understand, Bourbon casks are also often re-conditioned and re-charred, which further supports this point.
From what I understand, Bourbon casks are also often re-conditioned and re-charred, which further supports this point.
While A'bunadh is great, try Macallan Classic Cut if there is still any in your area. Almost all Macallan is over-hyped and over-priced, but Macallan CC is a fantastic cask strength sherry bomb at around $70-80 that handily beats out A'bunadh (which is saying a lot!)
I'd also recommend Clynelish 14 as an entry level sherried scotch. The Signatory Vintage releases of Clynelish distillate tend to be a bit more ($90-140) but are some of the best scotch money can buy in my opinion.
I'd also recommend Clynelish 14 as an entry level sherried scotch. The Signatory Vintage releases of Clynelish distillate tend to be a bit more ($90-140) but are some of the best scotch money can buy in my opinion.
It depends.
If it's a 1st-fill cask you can get a lot of flavour imparted from bourbon. A lot of my favourite "tropical fruit" flavour whiskies come from 1st fill bourbon casks.
If it's a 1st-fill cask you can get a lot of flavour imparted from bourbon. A lot of my favourite "tropical fruit" flavour whiskies come from 1st fill bourbon casks.
I don't really believe this, maybe just based on the mechanics of how aging work. I know that if you put the same spirit in front of me, one aged in sherry and the other bourbon, the difference will be night-and-day; you could be a first-time scotch drinker and easily have a strong preference (Aberlour does this at the distillery tour). I also know that the difference between new oak and 1st fill is enormous, because I have the Woodford demo where new oak is dark and woody and 1st fill is blonde and much less flavorful.
What I think is that if you did a triangle test between 1st and refill ex-bourbon, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
What I think is that if you did a triangle test between 1st and refill ex-bourbon, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
I personally prefer the Islay style of scotch to the Speysides. I'm all about the smokey peaty stuff. But I have friends who prefer the sherried style. If you didn't like your first taste of scotch one of the other styles may be more to your liking. Unless you just don't like strong spirits. In which case you probably won't like most whiskeys.
Aberlour A’bunadh is amazing, sadly it's almost always not available here (GER) whenever I'm in the market for getting a new bottle.
> the smokey peaty Islays tend not to be sherried at all.
Lagavulin, my personal favorite, is the exception.
Lagavulin, my personal favorite, is the exception.
If you like the regular Lagavulin, try to get your hands on the Distiller's Edition, which has a much higher Sherry cask content.
Ardbeg Uigaedail is another with the magic peat+sherry combo, and it's cask strength to boot (Typically about 115 proof).
Ardbeg Uigaedail is another with the magic peat+sherry combo, and it's cask strength to boot (Typically about 115 proof).
> Distiller's Edition
Had it, prefer the 16.
> Ardbeg Uigaedail
I’ll keep an eye out, thanks.
Had it, prefer the 16.
> Ardbeg Uigaedail
I’ll keep an eye out, thanks.
glenrothes used to be a pretty cheap and easy to drink for people who haven't done alot of scotch. not much complexity.
I've got a bone to pick with the article - it makes it sound like the Scottish only invented whisky in the beginning of 19th century:
> So it was only a matter of time before the Scots started storing their local moonshine, a clear distillate called uisge beatha (“water of life”), inside them. “Around 1800, distillers in Scotland realized that putting this clear spirit in a barrel not only made financial sense, but also made the liquid look and taste better,”
whereas Scotch whisky has been around for at least 500 years. In the second half of 18th century and early 19th century making distilled spirits was outlawed in Scotland, so, naturally, people turned to moonshining - much less risk in that than storing casks for decades to mature into proper whisky; that's the reason for the prominence of clear spirits.
> So it was only a matter of time before the Scots started storing their local moonshine, a clear distillate called uisge beatha (“water of life”), inside them. “Around 1800, distillers in Scotland realized that putting this clear spirit in a barrel not only made financial sense, but also made the liquid look and taste better,”
whereas Scotch whisky has been around for at least 500 years. In the second half of 18th century and early 19th century making distilled spirits was outlawed in Scotland, so, naturally, people turned to moonshining - much less risk in that than storing casks for decades to mature into proper whisky; that's the reason for the prominence of clear spirits.
One thing to know : I had always had the idea that Whisky tasted basically of the barrel, with the implication that the stuff put in the barrel doesn't taste of much -- like pure ethanol. This turns out to be not the case. I happened to visit a distillery where they let you drink the liquid straight out the still (that, in turn, because this particular distillery hasn't been in business long enough to have final product ready to sell). I was surprised to find that the distillate liquor tasted very much like Whisky.
I mean, that’s because it’s only ~65% pure ethanol. If you ran it through a column still a few more times, it would taste exactly like pure ethanol.
Harris?
Unfortunately no. It turns out there's a distillery in Fife now : https://www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com/
Sherry is definitely underappreciated in the US. One of my favorite aspects of it is how it is poured in Spain. A Venenciador uses a long rod with a thin cup to dip into a cask and pour the sherry into a small glass from high up in the air. This is a regular part of the sampling process in bodegas, but it is also performed at parties, weddings and fancy restaurants. It takes a lot of practice to get good at it, so good Venenciadors can make a living just pouring sherry. Really good Venenciadors can pour accurately over a meter in distance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kcmhtGvsc4
Interesting it's so firmly a part of the ritual of serving sherry. But then aeration is known to improve the flavours of many types of spirits and even electronic wine bottle toppers are available to spin the air.
A classic trick in restaurants for serving older red wines that need to breath a bit is to just pour it through a sieve when pouring it into the decanter (it should be poured into a decanter to pour it off the sediment in the bottle) to aerate the wine.
At 2:02 the woman deliberately shakes a bit out of the glass. Fascinating. Why?
I do love single malt scotch whisky.
But I will say...Sherry by itself is totally underated.
I spent a week in Jerez a few years ago studying Sherry and it is truly an art.
If you like Single Malt and Sour Beer, you owe it to yourself to seek out a Sherry bar and explore the magic of Fino, Amontillado, and the ever evasive Palo Cortado.
But I will say...Sherry by itself is totally underated.
I spent a week in Jerez a few years ago studying Sherry and it is truly an art.
If you like Single Malt and Sour Beer, you owe it to yourself to seek out a Sherry bar and explore the magic of Fino, Amontillado, and the ever evasive Palo Cortado.
The tough thing about sherry is that it doesn’t keep. I can keep 5-6 different interesting whiskeys in my house for months, but a sherry bottle has to get drunk within a week.
We had a restaurant in Chicago, Vera, with a huge sherry list. It was kind a of a miracle; I’d rather go there than to Longman with their equivalently long whiskey list. Gone now though :(.
We had a restaurant in Chicago, Vera, with a huge sherry list. It was kind a of a miracle; I’d rather go there than to Longman with their equivalently long whiskey list. Gone now though :(.
It's interesting how simple coincidences and accidents can become such a fundamental part of the character of a product.
The peat smoke in Scotch is another good example of this. They only used peat to dry the malt as coke was too expensive and hard to source in Scotland.
The peat smoke in Scotch is another good example of this. They only used peat to dry the malt as coke was too expensive and hard to source in Scotland.
For me, a great whisky is "spirit led" i.e. the flavour is dominated by the flavours present in the spirit itself before maturation.
It's difficult and expensive to make a really good "spirit led" whisky so many distilleries use casks as a way to imbue more flavours. Of course, a good cask helps (and you can't have whisky without casks) but beware of marketing departments trying to bamboozle you with fancy barrels.
The real art is in the distillation itself.
It's difficult and expensive to make a really good "spirit led" whisky so many distilleries use casks as a way to imbue more flavours. Of course, a good cask helps (and you can't have whisky without casks) but beware of marketing departments trying to bamboozle you with fancy barrels.
The real art is in the distillation itself.
The Macallan is kind of a special case of sherry barrel aging nowadays.
Because of US laws that require aging bourbon in new, freshly charred, American oak barrels, a large quantity of the barrels sold to distillers across the globe are "ex bourbon."
So, now, an awful lot of booze out there -- and not just whiskey, but also American brandy and some Caribbean rums -- tastes sorta like bourbon.
Because of US laws that require aging bourbon in new, freshly charred, American oak barrels, a large quantity of the barrels sold to distillers across the globe are "ex bourbon."
So, now, an awful lot of booze out there -- and not just whiskey, but also American brandy and some Caribbean rums -- tastes sorta like bourbon.
It tastes sort of like American oak, but not so much like bourbon. To a first approximation, everything not aged in Sherry butts has basically always been aged in ex bourbon casks, and lots of Scotch varieties have never been sherried.
> To a first approximation, everything not aged in Sherry butts has basically always been aged in ex bourbon casks ...
What historical evidence supports the notion that rum and brandy were, even to a first approximation, basically always aged in ex bourbon casks?
What historical evidence supports the notion that rum and brandy were, even to a first approximation, basically always aged in ex bourbon casks?
Scotch. All the scotches. I'm not talking about rum and brandy (I am however at this minute getting tipsy on a pretty amazing Plantation rum aged in cognac barrels, so I guess I could nerd out on rum a bit too --- though all I know about rum is "buy the Plantation rums that are aged in interesting barrels").
Which Plantation rum?
It's kind of crazy just how much cheap swill gets sloshed around at minimum time just so that it qualifies the bond - only then to ship the barrels around to other producers for re-aging. IIRC most of barrels from Beam and Brown-Forman?
Lately it seems like there's so many sherry-aged whiskies and whiskey-aged something or other, or first-fill, second-fill, ends up traveling over three continents. Seems like the barrel coopers are the ones doing the best, but even then the wood itself is pretty contentious in terms of quality versus hype.
Lately it seems like there's so many sherry-aged whiskies and whiskey-aged something or other, or first-fill, second-fill, ends up traveling over three continents. Seems like the barrel coopers are the ones doing the best, but even then the wood itself is pretty contentious in terms of quality versus hype.
Glenmorangie and Balvenie, off the top of my head.
Some of the most lovely bourbons I’ve had recently are port barrel aged, so this isn’t a surprise!
Which one? The only wine barrel bourbon I've had is High West's Midwinter. I'd be interested in other ones.
Kilchoman's port cask Scotch is really amazing.
Kilchoman's port cask Scotch is really amazing.
Local one in the Pacific Northwest - Cadee distillery Cascadia
Angels Envy - port barrel finished - is one of my favorites.
Balvenie also has a 21yo portwood.
For those interested in an Irish version check out Green Spot and Red Breast. Some of my favourites...
* lots of Scotch has no sherry, and, particularly, the smokey peaty Islays tend not to be sherried at all. Sherried Scotch is a distinctive style, mostly centered in Speyside.
* There are better, cheaper sherry bomb whiskies than Macallan; try Aberlour A’bunadh (cheap, excellent) and Glendronach (still substantially cheaper than Macallan, and I think much better).
The big trend in Scotch is towards “no age statement” (NAS) bottlings, because Scotland is not keeping up with resurgent global demand. NAS bottles are younger spirits, but tend to have more interesting casks, which is a bonus if sherried whiskies are what you’re into.
For what it’s worth, my mental model is that ex-bourbon casks add basically no flavors other than the wood; I think of them as “neutrally casked”.