Cigar Weekly

Monday March 9th, 2009

Doug Kuebler (jazznut)

 

The concept of placing distilled whisky into a used wine cask may seem slightly incongruous at first. Why not simply allow wood alone to have its say in enhancing flavour while the spirit slumbers and mellows down through the years? As anyone who has experienced single malts from Aberlour and Macallan (to name but two Highland sites renowned for Sherry cask maturation) or some of the increasingly prevalent special editions from other distilleries knows, though, wine casks seem to be practically everywhere in Scotland these days. Yet this phenomenon is not entirely new.

 

During the 19th-Century, distillers likewise had access to a plethora of Madeira, Port and Sherry casks, albeit it at a considerable discount over what similar ones fetch today. And the canny Scots made good use of those casks, racking untold quantities of fresh spirit into the vessels after they had been emptied of their original contents. The resulting whiskies acquired roundness and richness, and grew to be the tipples of choice amongst upscale circles of British society. However, the impending availability of much less expensive used barrels from the United States of America marked a veritable death knell, at least temporarily, for use within the Scotch world of European wine casks. Bourbon-seasoned oak subsequently became the industry standard. And the North American sourced commodity would maintain its position of prominence in Scotland's whisky warehouses for many, many years.

 

Fast forward to the present time and, wonder of wonders, the matter of wood choice seems to have come full circle. Indeed, it’s difficult to think of any operational Scotch malt whisky distillery that hasn’t embraced the idea of incorporating used wine casks somewhere or other in its maturation regimen. Even more astonishing, Madeira, Port and Sherry casks have been joined by just about every other sort of fortified, dessert and table wine vessel imaginable.

 

Very often these days, whisky doesn’t meet wine wood until it has already spent a lengthy period ageing in more pedestrian barrels. Employing such a strategy permits a distillery to fine-tune the effect of wine cask finishing, as well as to broaden the range of whiskies it can offer to the public. Coincidentally, such an approach also allows an enterprise to minimize the time during which relatively expensive wine casks are tied up. Marketability and profitability can both benefit from the practice.

 

For the consumer, there is always the question as to whether or not wine cask matured or finished whiskies merit the premium prices they usually command. With this in mind, here are my takes on a baker’s dozen of fairly recent releases within these two categories. The headings are self-explanatory, and the assessments are, naturally, personal in nature.

           

Released in 2007. Deep vermilion gold tending to bronze. Tangerine liqueur fragrance. Pumpkin flowers. Rolled oats. Maple sap. Some residual mustiness from the Amarone cask evident. Dried apricots on the palate along with cloves and pepper. Wrap-around warmth. Profound, resin-like impact from the oak. Sensations of caramelized Vidalia onions and essence of sultanas slowly seep from the pores of the wood. Honey and floral overtones emerge with the addition of a little water, as do notions of linen, mustard seed and brine. The juxtaposition of malt spirit and wine cask characteristics comes as something of a shock, with the contrast between fruit-derived sweetness and spiced oak dryness never quite resolving. Water tempers the tempest a tad, yet doesn’t put out the fire. A little rough around the edges, but fun. It's worth noting that the Isle of Arran Distillery, despite its relative youth, has initiated one of the most ambitiously varied wine cask finishing regimens of any malt whisky producing site in Scotland.

 

              

A somewhat nascent distillery issue that spends its final sojourn in Port casks. Full, rose-tinged gold. Vibrant and attractive on the nose. Quite a floral fragrance, with those trademark Balvenie honey and vanilla scents sporting additional wine cask-enhanced ripe fruit notions. A bit incongruous palate-wise, as mouth-watering fruit syrup and honey tones struggle to calm the spice-laden vigour of the spirit. Things do settle down toward the finish, though. As expected, this relative youngster can’t match the degree of integration, subtlety and succulence exhibited by the pricier 21-year old Port Wood edition. Here, limited age and exclusive utilization of second fill Port casks advantage resin derived spice over sweetness, as though raisins were doing battle with the oak. Pleasurable enough for all that.

 

This spirit spends its final period of maturation in Madeira casks sourced from Henriques & Henriques. Fairly pale lemon-yellow gold hue. A high-toned fragrance with notions of spring blossoms, honeydew melon, sweet oak and acetone. On the palate, a sparkling interplay of sun-ripened citrus, sweet malt and crisp oak that, though lightly textured and silky, offers up just the right degree of simmering white pepper warmth. Dries at the finish in the manner of a fine Cragganmore, with notions of stone-grist barley, lemon zest, leather and even the faint saltiness of a young Brie cheese making guest appearances. More sharply etched than the Curiositas, despite the additional age. A subtle and initially somewhat deceptive malt that rewards subsequent pours. Lovely, appetizing whisky just on the cusp of winning me over.

 

                    

Deep sienna-tinged orange-gold. Scents of buckwheat honey on toast, candied orange peel and leather. An almost chewable, buttery texture to begin. Dried strawberries and apricots enrobed in rich chocolate. Then the whisky grows moodier as charred notes and spices intervene, the chocolate darkening and becoming increasingly bitter. A hint of cured tobacco too, perhaps, or merely the power of suggestion? Caribbean black cake at the close. Unfortunately, there’s little subtlety to be found here. Yet despite this, the flavour thrust almost manages to succeed. Almost.

 

Successor to the distillery’s popular Port Wood Finish edition. Sunset orange gold. Apricot and Seville orange preserve scents. Liqueur-like. Almond paste. Nutmeg. Ground ginger. A confectionery, momentarily syrupy attack of candied orange peel and sugar-dusted breakfast scones caresses the palate. Then firmer, an interjection of toasted oak bringing on short-lived, slightly oxidative sensations of pepper and dried herbs. As sharpness and warmth subside, chocolate and toffee nuances emerge within a softening custard-cream cloak. Notions of buttered pecans and cocoa tail off to a barely medium-length finish. Lacks some of the effortless quality of the original Port Wood Finish version, not to mention that lovely Turkish-delight finale. On a positive note, now more robust, assertive and, at times, challenging, with the signature Glenmorangie spiciness vividly conveyed at mid palate. A different beast, to be sure. I have to wonder if the overall maturation period has been compromised a tad. And as respectable as this one seems, I still miss the older.

 

The hue of this issue has lightened ever so slightly from that of earlier editions. Nonetheless, the characteristic Sherry cask derived fruitiness is still present, along with nuances of nuts in cream, chocolate and mint. A lovely preserved orange peel twist at mid palate turns to lemon custard on the finish, making you want to pour a second dram. Indeed, the superb bittersweet balance of this particular bottling is so perfectly pitched as to almost remind one of a rye based spirit. It’s clear that a shift toward a melding of whiskies drawn primarily from second fill Sherry casks has taken place. The net result is a marginal lessening of Jerez unctuousness, but a decidedly better balance between the wine wood influence and the spirit.

 

              

Matured in both traditional – that is, ex-Bourbon – and Sherry wood. Golden ochre to amber in colour. Seville orange marmalade, apple butter and honey scents layered between custard and cream. Faint echoes of pot-still copper and After Eight chocolate mint wafers. On the palate, orange creamsicles and Oloroso, then mint, Brazil nuts and dark chocolate. Almost brandy-like in demeanour, with the mini mid-palate spirit and spice surge bookended by textural silkiness. Fades slowly, leaving a residue of sultanas. Finely tuned, clean as a whistle whisky. Aberlour at its most subtle.

 

Rich ochre-tinged gold with amber highlights. On the nose, pancakes with honey, passion fruit and spring foliage. Sweet and quite unctuous opening, with a demure backbeat of peppery high-proof heat that softens as it spreads across the palate. Ginger-pear marmalade. Bread pudding. Fresh mint leaves enrobed in white chocolate. Citrus lozenges. Spirited, crisply delineated and harmonious. A most uplifting dram as it pours, or with a drop or two of water.

 

              

Triple distilled and then exposed to three cycles of oak, consisting of maturation in ex-Bourbon, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks. A pronounced amber gold hue with a raw sienna cast. The voluptuous fragrance evokes sensations of orange blossom honey and raisins steeped in copper cookware, as well as scents of polished furniture. On the palate, an oily sweet overture leads to succulent malt infused with candied orange peel. The faintest hint of cloves lends velvety warmth. Sultanas seep from the pores of the oak. The whisky then glides toward spiced apple and citrus overtones, with simmering heat coating the perimeter of the palate. Notions of lemon custard and whisky-soaked bread pudding point the way toward the close, only to have the deft balancing of youthful vigour and Sherry wood influence bring a restorative resolution to the finale. This whisky momentarily reminds me of significantly older issues from the distillery, and is simply delicious! It certainly puts the lie to any generalizations concerning the lightness of Lowland Scotches.

 

Finished in casks previously seasoned with dark Moscatel wine. Full yellow gold with a hint of pale green. Scents of honeyed lemon and lime zest. Nuances of sage, pine needles and oak resin. Wet wool as well as a faint whiff of tar pitch. Ultra smooth palate entry. Light and oily at first with a paraffin-like touch. Then firmer, the emerging oak and smoke tones inseparable from one another. Lemon and vegetal notes invigorate even as the balancing malt sweetness and wine cask influence sooth. In this case, the ‘makeup’ enhances rather than obscures the intrinsic characteristics of the malt. A worthy addition to the Distillers Edition portfolio.

 

Bottled without chill-filtration from a selection of 39 Oloroso casks. Amber to raw sienna in colour. A somewhat liqueur-like fragrance. Candied orange. Chocolate marble loaf. Floral and cedar notes lie in the background, and the smoke barely whispers. Instantaneous onslaught of glycerine-textured sweetness on the palate. Seville orange marmalade. Honey. Dates and sultanas. Then a nice spicy bite of spirit and wine-wood resin encapsulates edible flowers, peat and salt. The seamless, Sherry-steeped Islay finale brings back a little of everything. A true Islay-Jerez marriage. The wrap-around finish, especially, places this one in another league from the standard trio (12, 15 and 18-year old) of Bowmores. Yes, it’s that good. But you have to accept the Sherry influence on its own terms and be very careful if contemplating the addition of water.

 

              

Bottled without chill filtration from a selection of 24 Port casks. Deep burnt orange gold with a reddish cast. On the nose, bramble fruit, predominantly raspberries. Wild cherry liqueur. Cardamom infused herbal tea. The underlying Islay characteristics percolate through in rather restrained fashion. Upon sipping, a veritable Niagara Falls overture of field berry sweetness reluctantly recedes, revealing earthy aspects. It’s as though one were sampling the entire plant from fruit to root. Then peat and Habanero heat, followed by sea salt. Liquorice and Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut chocolate bar notes meld and gently sooth as the glowing embers begin to fade. A far cry from most Port wood finished varieties of single malt. Here, the wine cask hug seems all embracing, occupying center stage for the better part of the performance. Those Bowmore traits have a real battle on their hands. Yet when the smoke and brine do manage to peek through, they effortlessly complement the fruit-laden thrust. Water? Keep it on the side. This whisky comes as such a shock to the senses that I’m almost tempted to ask, “Is it Scotch?” No matter. Oporto meets Islay. And the result, if idiosyncratic, is still delicious!

 

Finished in a red Rhône valley wine cask sourced from Gabriel Meffre. Amber tinged gold tone with a raw sienna cast. On the nose, pecan butter, light maple syrup, dried apples dusted with nutmeg and maraschino cherries. Warm, soft and succulent palate entry. Juicy plum fruit. Apricot preserve with a trace of ginger root. Candied apples. Milk chocolate. The influence of the oak provides a balancing piquancy that serves to accentuate the dense, nut-enhanced malt sweetness. And a subtle yet persistent undercurrent of earthiness hints at peat smoke. Lingering lemon oil and honey at the finish. Quite simply, one of the best integrated examples of a wine cask finished whisky I can recall. Spirited and sumptuous. A superlative if not inexpensive after dinner pour that takes no prisoners.