The Future is Bright for Nordic Whiskies

Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland are making some head-turning whiskies that embrace Nordic climates and traditions.

The post The Future is Bright for Nordic Whiskies appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

Let me take you to a land of volcanoes and glaciers, rugged coastlines and deep fjords, Viking legends and the aurora borealis. The Nordic region is admired for its contemporary interior design, inspiring architecture, and timber summer cabins tucked into forest clearings. Now, Nordic whisky can be included in that array. It’s a vibrant time for distilleries from the Jutland Peninsula to the Arctic Circle and across to Iceland, the land of fire and ice. The spectrum of this region’s whisky flavors is as diverse as the Nordic landscape itself. Over the past two decades, distillers throughout the region have built a culture of craftsmanship and innovation, turning this special place into one of the world’s prime locations for making whisky.

Finland

Teerenpeli Distillery—Founded 2002
Teerenpeli is located in Lahti, about 60 miles north of Helsinki, and operates a brewery, seven restaurants, and a downtown distillery with a new visitor center. The distillery draws water from a substantial underground aquifer of glacial meltwater that’s filtered through a deep gravel bed. It also has a ready source of native barley from local malting suppliers. The only missing element is local peated malt, so its new U.S. release, Teerenpeli Savu, uses Scottish malt peated to 55 phenol parts per million (ppm) that is blended with Teerenpeli’s local malt. Both standard and small casks are used for maturation, and Teerenpeli ages all its whiskies inside insulated shipping containers where the ventilation can be adjusted and the temperature monitored. Founder Anssi Pyssing expects to use this maturation method for all the distillery’s whiskies for the foreseeable future.

Grab a tasting and a tour at Teerenpeli’s new visitor center.

As Teerenpeli passes its 20th anniversary, a handful of other Finnish spirits producers have emerged in recent years. The newer ones are turning to rye whisky and single malt, while also producing gins and aquavits. Pyssing’s goal is to create greater cooperation among Nordic distillers to help the region’s whiskies gain wider worldwide recognition.

Try It:
Teerenpeli Kaski—90 points, 43%, $130
Teerenpeli Portti—90 points, 43%, $130
Teerenpeli Savu—88 points, 43%, $130

Denmark

Stauning Whisky—Founded 2005
Taking its design inspiration from local farm buildings and fishing huts, Stauning opened its current distillery in 2018 with an ingenious custom-designed malting floor—the barley is turned with a unique system of spinning rakes like a combine harvester—24 squat stills, and an annual production capacity equivalent to Springbank Distillery’s 750,000 liters of pure alcohol (lpa). Co-founder Alex Munch likens the climate on Denmark’s west coast to Islay, but emphasizes that his goal is to craft Danish whisky, not Islay-style scotch.

Stauning Whisky uses 24 squat stills to make rye and malt whisky.

“We want to create a Nordic terroir,” he says. “We have a lot of farmland here, great clean water, and local grain.” Barley and rye are locally sourced and malted on-site. A Highland-style Danish peat is used for Stauning’s peated malt, but it has augmented its smoky batches by burying local heather under loose peat in the kiln to add flavor.

Stauning’s whisky has a weighty mouthfeel, the result of a long fermentation producing more fruity esters that create pear, apple, and citrus flavors. Its kiln is heated with the hot air produced by its 24 direct-fired pot stills, and distillation is slow. “Making whisky will never be super energy efficient, but we’re really trying to do better,” Munch says.

Try It:
Stauning Bastard—92 points, 46.3%, $78
Stauning Kaos—91 points, 46%, $79
Stauning Rye—88 points, 48%, $73

ICELAND

Eimverk Distillery—Founded 2009
In its pursuit of authentic Icelandic whisky, Eimverk embodies the admirable qualities of autonomy, freedom from convention, self-sufficiency, and sheer inventiveness. Although the distillery first gained notoriety for using sheep dung rather than peat, there’s much more to its story.

Iceland is the closest whisky-producing Nordic country to the U.S., and that proximity has had a decided influence. “We’re in the middle of the Atlantic, and there’s always been a strong connection to the U.S.,” says Halli Thorkelsson, founder of this family-run enterprise on the outskirts of Reykjavík.

Halli Thorkelsson founded Eimverk Distillery in 2009 on the outskirts of Reykjavík. The distillery ships its Flóki whiskies to 19 countries.

Eimverk, producer of Flóki whisky, mashes equal ratios of malted and unmalted Icelandic barley. It uses old milk tanks repurposed as wash stills as well as other hand-built equipment to run in-grain fermentation and distillation, where the grains are still in the solution when added to the fermenters and wash stills, rather than being drained off after mashing—quite unconventional for Europe. The distillery taps into Iceland’s abundant supply of geothermal water, passing it through a heat exchanger to lower its energy footprint. Predominantly using charred virgin oak casks lends Eimverk’s whiskies a bourbon or Tennessee whiskey slant. The distillery has an active finishing program, using sherry casks but also more unorthodox choices like birchwood, Icelandic craft beer, and mead casks.

This island nation is at the limit of the world’s barley-growing zone, which presents a fundamental challenge to making whisky. Eimverk uses native barley grown and malted on the family farm. Two species of two-row barley are planted, specially selected for these tough growing conditions. The resulting harvest is typically about half of what a farmer might expect in Scotland, and each ton produces 10% to 20% less alcohol. Barley grown this far north is inherently spicy, with a relatively low amount of sugars due to the short summer, imbuing the whisky with fresh grassy tones and a distinct spicy pepperiness.

Eimverk Distillery has the capacity to make 34,500 lpa, and it ships Flóki whiskies to 19 countries. “We’re in this for the long run,” confirms Thorkelsson. “We’ve even planted some oak trees, but it’s going to take a while to get our own barrels!”

Try It:
Flóki Icelandic Birch-Finished Single Malt—92 points, 47%, $100
Flóki Sheep Dung-Smoked Reserve Single Malt—91 points, 47%, $100
Flóki Single Malt—89 points, 47%, $100

Learn More About the Sheep Dung Smoking Process

NORWAY

Aurora Spirit Distillery—Founded 2016
Winter is the most spectacular time in Norway; you’ve got enormous snow drifts, clear skies, and the aurora borealis,” says Colin Houston, cask program manager at Aurora Spirit Distillery, the northernmost distillery in the world. Situated in spectacular surroundings within the Arctic Circle, over 1,000 miles north of Oslo, this facility was built on the site of a former WWII German military fort. At latitude 69°N, this is the land of the midnight sun and the polar night; in the depths of winter the sun doesn’t come over the horizon for two months.

Aurora is the northernmost distillery in the world, making whisky, gin, vodka, and other spirits.

The distillery makes a variety of Arctic spirits using its hybrid pot and column still, though it brings in a pilsner malt-based wash from the Mack microbrewery, located 50 miles away, for its whisky production. “I’ve watched the Mack delivery lorries come up here with enormous studded tires and chains as they belt their way through the Arctic weather to get to us,” describes Houston.

For maturation, quarter casks are typically used, though many of Aurora’s experimental casks are even smaller for faster maturation. Virgin Hungarian oak, chestnut, cherry, sauternes, madeira, rye whiskey, palo cortado, and aquavit casks are all in the pipeline. The small barrels are rolled into the tunnels of a nearby former NATO base to mature, though a new warehouse resembling a Viking longhouse will soon be completed.

While there is no oak growing in the Arctic, Aurora’s distilling team started the Arctic Barley Project two years ago with the aim of growing local barley for its whisky in collaboration with neighboring farmers. The first year produced about seven tons and, using an old farmer’s yeast on the unmalted barley, Aurora made a grain whisky and filled two casks. “The flavors it gives are insane,” beams Houston. “We’re getting a mixture of floral and fruity notes that I’ve not experienced in other whiskies.”

Aurora Spirit’s debut European releases, Bivrost Niflheim and Bivrost Nidavellir, sold out quickly. Currently Aurora Spirits is in discussions with U.S. importers, and plans twice-yearly Bivrost releases in Europe with the anticipation of greater availability by 2025. The nascent craft spirits movement in Norway has encouraged around 10 distilleries to make whisky—with Myken, Det Norske Brenneri, and Feddie all worth watching.

Try It:
Look for a U.S. release of Bivrost within the next one to two years.

SWEDEN

Mackmyra Whisky—Founded 1999
Vertical distilleries are uncommon, but Mackmyra has pioneered the concept (and is now being followed by Edinburgh’s Port of Leith Distillery, currently under construction). Mackmyra opened its second production site in 2010, a distinctive 35-meter-tall gravity distillery. Aside from the energy efficiency of the operation, it offers visitors the opportunity to take an elevator to the top to learn about whisky production as they descend floor by floor. Mackmyra makes the quintessential Swedish whisky, and with the skill of master blender Angela D’Orazio, it captures the essence of Sweden through the use of local barley, peat, yeast, oak, and finishing casks.

Mackmyra stores a bulk of its whisky 164 feet underground in a mine that first opened in 1857. The distillery also has six other satellite warehouses.

Mackmyra uses a Swedish white moss peat packed with forest matter. Distinctively, the distillery adds twigs of freshly cut juniper to the peat. Its malting facility is a customized shipping container where it smokes the peat for 36 hours to achieve peat levels of 50 to 60 ppm. “The Swedish peat gives us a rather herbal character, but adding the dominant flavor of the juniper twigs, we get this oilier, cold barbecue aroma into it, which is fantastic,” enthuses D’Orazio, “It has this Swedish forest essence to it.”

Mackmyra works extensively with Swedish oak, which has its own unique flavor profile with lower levels of wood sugars than American oak. “Our oak is very slow-growing, and it gives us quite massive flavors, similar to French oak,” says D’Orazio. “It has a beautiful, oriental aromatic composition when it’s fresh, with notes of ginger, coriander, aniseed, cedarwood, sandalwood, and tobacco leaf. Together, it’s like a most beautiful perfume.”

Mackmyra stores much of its whisky 164 feet underground in the Bodås Mine, an old iron ore facility that opened in 1857. It has six other satellite warehouses, including Europe’s highest warehouse at the Lofsdalen Skybar restaurant, but it’s the chambers in the mine that are cherished for their stable temperatures of 44° to 48°F.

Mackmyra is a fruity whisky, with notes of citrus, pear, and grassy herbal tones, plus ginger and aniseed spiciness. While the U.S. only has one expression of Mackmyra at present, D’Orazio oversees an active program of experimental casks that capture different seasonal moods, from lingonberry, cloudberry, and birch sap wines to coffee, amarone, Japanese green tea, and calvados, which have helped Mackmyra cultivate a strong identity among its legions of European fans.

Spirit of Hven Distillery—Founded 2007
This Swedish island distillery is situated between the Danish and Swedish mainland in the strait of Öresund, where it makes single malt and grain whiskies and organic gin, and collaborated on the first Swedish blended whisky. Grain is sourced on the island, with much of the barley being certified organic; a unique microclimate means it enjoys greater humidity and more hours of sunshine than most of Sweden. Conscious that everything needs to be transported on and off the island by boat, founder Henric Molin hopes to source 100% of his raw materials from the island by 2023, from cereal grains to gin botanicals. He maintains a strong focus on organic barley: “We want to do the best for the environment and meet our sustainability goals while being as efficient as possible with the local harvest.”

Spirit of Hven started making single malt whiskies, then added a lab, a grain facility with column stills, and a rare wooden Coffey still. “Our objective from the beginning wasn’t world domination, but to be small and interesting and seek out those different flavor characteristics,” says Molin. While every Swedish distiller has their own unique approach to making whisky, Molin sees common ground. “It’s not like we smell this and say this is a Swedish whisky, like you might identify bourbon or an Islay scotch, but I think we still see a Swedish profile. It’s very intense in flavor, and tends to be quite peppery and spicy compared to scotch.”

High Coast Distillery—Founded 2010
The High Coast of Sweden is a UNESCO World Heritage site and High Coast Distillery (formerly Box Distillery) stands here on the bank of the colossal Ångerman River. While it uses soft, clean water for making whisky, it takes full advantage of the mighty river and the 128,000 gallons of ice-cold water that pass every second to cool the vapors in its condensers. Distillery manager Roger Melander says, “Really cold cooling water is integral to the flavor of our new-make spirit.”

A man leads a large whisky tasting inside a barrel warehouse

High Coast has a larger U.S. presence than other Swedish whisky producers, with its Hav single malt earning the No.-6 spot on our 2021 Top 20.

Melander experiments with maturation by varying cask size, heat treatment, oak species, and filling strength, taking into account the performance of the variables against the large seasonal fluctuations in warehouse temperature. He prefers bourbon casks and American oak sherry casks. During maturation, alcohol strength increases slightly at High Coast, so Melander has adjusted the filling strength from 63% down to 60% and is contemplating cutting to 58% to produce even better flavors.

In stark contrast to many distilleries, High Coast revels in temperature fluctuations inside its warehouse, which can vary over a range of 100°F. The black warehouse roof absorbs heat in the summer highs of around 82°F, but in winter it can drop to -22°F, resulting in ice forming on the surface of the barrels. “This interactive maturation forces spirit in and out of the pores of the oak,” explains Melander. “Yoichi Distillery in Hokkaido, Japan is the only distillery in the world that has similar seasonal temperature changes, but unfortunately, they mature nearly every drop at Miyagikyo Distillery in Sendai.”

High Coast has a bigger U.S. presence than any other Nordic distillery, and Melander is confident about the long-term prospects for Nordic whisky overall. “Japan started making whisky almost 100 years ago, and today the market for Japanese whisky is enormous. Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark could easily be the next Japan.”

Try It:
High Coast Älv—92 points, 46%, $50
High Coast Berg—92 points, 50%, $60
High Coast Hav—93 points, 48%, $50

Spirit of Hven Hvenus Rye—91 points, 45.6%, $77
Spirit of Hven Mercurious Corn—90 points, 45.6%, $55
Spirit of Hven Tycho’s Star Single Malt—87 points, 41.8%, $130

Mackmyra 1st Edition—91 points, 46.1%, $90/liter

The post The Future is Bright for Nordic Whiskies appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

Heirloom Grains Are Bringing Rye Whiskey Back to Its Roots

Craft distillers across the country are exploring heirloom rye varietals in search of historical authenticity.

The post Heirloom Grains Are Bringing Rye Whiskey Back to Its Roots appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

Danko, Abruzzi, and Rosen may sound like a law firm, or a not so hip 70s rock band. But you’ll hear the names being bandied about at small distilleries around the U.S. They are heirloom varietals of rye—grains that had all but disappeared from American farming until about a decade ago, when craft distillers began seeking out local farmers to grow them. Their aim is to restore long-vanished rye whiskey styles, and these forgotten rye strains may be their key to success. It hasn’t been an easy endeavor, but distillers believe the resulting differences make it all worthwhile.

Farmers mainly use rye as a cover crop—planting it in the fall and plowing it under in the spring or summer, for the purpose of keeping the soil in place during winter. Larger distilleries look abroad for their rye grain—to Canada, Germany, or Sweden. Herman Mihalich, co-founder and distiller of Dad’s Hat Rye in Bristol, Pennsylvania, was one of the early voices advocating for a return to native strains. “At a meeting one time, I’d made a statement that I’m surprised that American distillers in Kentucky are not using American rye,” Mihalich recalls. “They were saying American rye is not good enough. But I don’t think that’s correct.”

Three men sit by whiskey barrels and a still

Herman Mihalich and John Cooper of Dad’s Hat with farming partner Nevada Mease. (Photo by Jason Varney)

Revisiting Rye’s History

Mihalich launched Dad’s Hat in 2011, using locally sourced heirloom rye from several different farms before deciding to work exclusively with farmer Nevada Mease at Meadowbrook Farm in Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles north of Dad’s Hat. “Nevada is taking care to make a top-quality product,” Mihalich says. “That land has been part of his family’s history since 1716.” Mihalich and Mease are working together to create a new whiskey using Rosen rye—a historical varietal from Pennsylvania’s rye-making heyday of the early 20th century. At that time it was called “Old Monongahela rye” after the river that flowed past many western Pennsylvania distilleries. Another Rosen rye whiskey is being made by Pennsylvania distiller Stoll & Wolfe in Lititz, which released its first Rosen expression last year.

Along with Pennsylvania, Maryland was the other focal point for rye whiskey before Prohibition, but the last of the state’s pre-Prohibition rye distilleries, Baltimore-based Standard Distillers Products, which owned Pikesville rye, closed its doors in 1972. While Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirit is doing important work in restoring Maryland’s name as a place for rye whiskey, it does not focus specifically on the heirloom rye phenomenon, or at least it hasn’t yet. One smaller distiller who does is McClintock Distilling Co. in Frederick County, which has returned to grains used more than a century ago. Braeden Bumpers, McClintock’s co-founder and distiller, worked with the South Mountain Heritage Society in nearby Burkittsville to determine that Danko rye, a native historical varietal which produced the fruit-forward flavor characteristic of Maryland ryes, was the strain once used. McClintock now works with four local farms to source certified organic Danko rye.

Many of the farmers in Frederick County work with the Maryland-based poultry giant Perdue, which uses GMO grains and chemical pesticides. Getting farmers to transition to organic heirloom grains was a challenge, Bumpers says. “We are very upfront with everybody—that growing organic is a lot more work, and that you’re not going to get yields as good as growing for Perdue, but overall, you’ll make more money if you’re willing to do the work,” he says. “We’ve found people who are able to keep the family farm, which is great.”

Taking It Up a Notch

After researching rye types used before 1920, Todd Leopold of Denver, Colorado-based Leopold Bros., found a local farmer who could supply Abruzzi—another varietal once widely grown in Maryland. Leopold then took it up a notch by working with Louisville-based distilling equipment manufacturer Vendome Copper and Brass Works to build a three chamber still—a long-forgotten model that was used for rye whiskey distilling in Maryland and Pennsylvania a century ago. The fruit of Leopold’s remarkable effort is the Leopold Bros. Three Chamber rye, which was released last year to much conversation in the whisky world. The project was a bold attempt to recreate an obsolete method used for pre-Prohibition rye, including the choice of rye strain. “I didn’t want to make the mistake of trying to apply modern ingredients and expect the still to behave the same way,” says Leopold. Specifically, Abruzzi has a much lower starch content than modern rye, so its use requires adding greater quantities of rye per gallon of liquid. “That means it will be more flavorful,” Leopold adds.

Two men stand in front of a three chamber still

Scott and Todd Leopold of Leopold Bros. rocked the rye world with last year’s release of Three Chamber rye. (Photo by Jeff Nelson)

Aged 4 years and bottled in bond, Three Chamber rye is now available on its own or in a blend with column-distilled rye made at Cascade Hollow (formerly George Dickel) in Tennessee. So pleased was Leopold with the results that he now uses Abruzzi in all Leopold Bros. spirits containing rye.

In New York, where distillers have created the Empire Rye classification for locally made ryes, the issue of specific rye strains takes a back seat to a focus on local provenance. An Empire Rye whiskey thus can earn its designation simply by being made with 75% New York grown rye of any kind, distilled to no higher than 160 proof, going into the barrel at 115 proof or lower, and aging at least two years in new charred American oak. (The entire process, from mashing through aging, must take place at a single New York distillery.) Allen Katz, distiller at New York Distilling Co. and co-founder of the Empire Rye Whiskey Association, says the rules give distillers plenty of scope for expression. “It’s a great opportunity to flex creative muscles on developing unique and individualistic Empire Ryes,” he says. New York now has 10 officially sanctioned distilleries making Empire Rye, with nearly 20 others committed to joining as soon as they can meet the standards.

Farmers Turned Distillers

Some noteworthy craft distilleries have been launched by rye farmers themselves. In Minnesota’s Red River Valley, on a farm tilled by the Swanson family for more than a century, Minnesota rye is grown and distilled into whiskey at the aptly named Far North Distillery. For its Roknar 100% rye, the Swansons hired a nearby maltster to do some of the malting, and a local cooperage made the barrels from Minnesota oak. It’s another tiny release most of us will never see, but we can enjoy the idea and hope for more of the same.

Nick Nagele, a fifth-generation farmer in Illinois, co-founded Whiskey Acres Distillery in 2013 with father-and-son team Jim and Jamie Walter, whose family has owned their farm in DeKalb, Illinois since the 1930s. They primarily wanted to showcase Whiskey Acres as “The Napa Valley of corn for distilling,” Nagele says, but also wanted to make rye, and they grow all the rye they distill. Since rye is grown as a cover crop in Illinois, Nagele looked northward to Minnesota for his grain type, where he and Mike Swanson of Far North Distillery found a rye varietal called AC Hazlet. It worked, both economically and agronomically. Whiskey Acres sells its rye whiskey as a bottled in bond and a younger straight expression.

Three men standing by racked whiskey barrels

Farmer Nick Nagele (center) partnered with father and son Jim (right) and Jamie Walker (left) to found Whiskey Acres Distilling in DeKalb, Illinois.

Further west, Colby Frey, co-founder and distiller at Frey Ranch in western Nevada, uses the Prima rye varietal, which is typically found in Canada. “That’s what we’d always grown, for as long as I can remember,” Frey says. “We tried all kinds of other varieties, and none of them were as good or as flavorful.” The result is a whiskey distinct from both Canadian and Kentucky expressions, which Whisky Advocate called “outstanding,” rating it 93 points.

Perhaps the most pivotal player in the rye boom has been WhistlePig. The distillery is located on a farm in Shoreham, Vermont, but its whiskey has been distilled and partially aged in Canada. The goal from the outset was to make a grain-to-bottle whiskey, and in 2017 it released Farmstock, containing 20% homegrown rye (the latest iteration is 52% from the farm). In 2021, WhistlePig went a step further with the debut of Beyond Bonded rye, the first WhistlePig expression to be distilled 100% from Remington rye that was grown entirely at its farm. Both Farmstock and Beyond Bonded are very different from the other WhistlePig whiskeys, but distiller Emily Harrison sees that as a good thing. “My favorite part of rye is the light, floral side that you just don’t see that often,” she says. “[Farmstock and Beyond Bonded] hit another side of rye that you don’t get in our other products—or in a lot of other ryes on the market. It can be light and approachable instead of bold and spicy.”

Farming your own rye has its share of drawbacks, Harrison says, “If there’s a problem that you can have with farming, we’ve had it. We have heavy clay in our soil that does not grow rye very well, and if you’re turning the fields over, it’ll actually bake in the fields, and obviously you can’t grow rye on chunks of pottery.” Lodging—the term for when the tall rye stalks are knocked over by storms shortly before harvest time—is a common issue. Significant rain before the harvest can also cause a host of problems, whether it’s lodging, or fungi and toxins growing on the berries, or even germination in the field. All can severely reduce yields.

Small-farm economics can also affect small distilleries, as New York-based Hudson Whiskey distiller Brendan O’Rourke explains. Sometimes small farmers can’t get their crop off the field if, for example, there is an equipment breakdown. The weather can also be a factor, impacting crop production—and ultimately whiskey production as well.

But the farmers and distillers who’ve taken the homegrown route say the drawbacks are worth all the trouble. Local grains help make a distinctive whiskey—taste Frey Ranch’s bottled in bond rye next to, say, New York Distilling Company’s Ragtime rye and WhistlePig’s Beyond Bonded, and you’ll get three very different flavor profiles. And going local is an important way to support farmers who otherwise might vanish from the scene. Adds O’Rourke: “If I can support the farmers in my area, I can ensure that the farmland stays there, and that these historic family farms won’t be turned into condo developments. That’s a big driver.”

Rye whiskies made with locally grown rye

Frey Ranch Bottled in Bond
93 points, 50%, $60
Rye type: Prima
Rye source: Frey Ranch’s own farm in Fallon, Nv.
Mashbill: 100% rye

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Cask Strength
92 points, 60%, $90
Rye type: Ryman, Haslett, and Brasetto
Rye source: Leesburg, Va. and Lancaster, Pa.
Mashbill: 100% rye

Hudson Do The Rye Thing
90 points, 46%, $40
Rye type: Not specified winter rye
Rye source: Hudson Valley, N.Y.
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley

Dad’s Hat
88 points, 47.5%, $55
Rye type: Danko and Prima
Rye source: Meadowbrook Farms, Riegelsville, Pa.
Mashbill: 80% rye, 5% malted rye, 15% malted barley

Leopold Bros. Three Chamber Bottled in Bond
88 points, 50%, $250
Rye type: Abruzzi
Rye source: A farm in Longmont, Colo.
Mashbill: 80% Abruzzi rye, 20% own malted barley

Whiskey Acres
87 points, 43.5%, $45
Rye type: AC Hazlet
Rye source: Whiskey Acres’ own farm in DeKalb, Ill.
Mashbill: 75% rye, 25% corn

Coppersea Bottled in Bond Bonticou Crag
86 points, 50%, $120
Rye type: Danko
Rye source: Hudson Valley, N.Y.
Mashbill: 100% rye, malted at Coppersea

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12 Classic Whiskies That Are Worth Revisiting

Reevaluate your relationship with these affordable bottles that you may have encountered early on in your whisky journey.

The post 12 Classic Whiskies That Are Worth Revisiting appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

Rediscovering a forgotten whisky can be like finding a lost love. Remember how delighted and dazzled you were by all those great drams when you first started exploring whisky? Those early block builders are often forgotten—eclipsed by the perpetual seduction of new discoveries. Our advice: Don’t always be so quick to move on. Take a moment to rediscover your whisky-loving roots, and find some time for the whiskies you forgot you love.

Single malt scotch

Glenfiddich 12 year old
89 points, 40%, $55

Launched in 1999, Glenfiddich sells around 10.5 million bottles of this 12 year old Speyside single malt every year. “The distillery process continues to be exactly the same as it was decades ago, with traditional mash tuns, wooden washbacks, and unusually small stills,” says Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman. Matured in American and Spanish oak casks, this expression balances those distilling and maturation aspects beautifully. Aromas of fresh pear herald a palate of sweet vanilla, orchard fruits, spice, and subtle oak. “We marry every single drop in our oak marrying tuns prior to bottling, to ensure a consistent flavor with the characteristic fresh fruitiness that is created in the new distillate and nurtured during 12 years of maturation.”

The Glenlivet 12 year old
85 points, 40%, $48

Licensed in 1824, Glenlivet is an icon of Speyside’s fruity, floral whisky style, and Glenlivet 12 year old embodies that signature style completely. “Our classic single malt is matured using American and European oak casks, which impart notes of vanilla and give the whisky its distinctively smooth style,” says Glenlivet’s former master distiller Alan Winchester. “The delicate and complex character derives from the height and shape of the stills at Glenlivet Distillery.” With its recent Illicit Still and Licensed Dram releases from the Original Stories series, Glenlivet is exploring different versions of the 12 year old, which make a fascinating counterpoint to tasting the classic original.

Glenmorangie Original
87 points, 40%, $45

This delicate 10 year old Highland dram is distilled through copper pot stills that are notable as the tallest in Scotland, and help to create a bouquet of soft stone fruit, citrus, and floral scents. “Glenmorangie Original is the best representation of Glenmorangie’s house style,” notes Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of whisky creation for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. “Matured in first and second-fill bourbon casks, it has smooth flavors of vanilla, orange, peaches, and floral notes.” Glenmorangie Original forms the basis of the label’s extra-matured range, which includes sherry, port, and sauternes cask-finished expressions. It is a key malt to compare with the extra-matured bottlings to understand the impact of finishing in those secondary casks.

Blended Scotch

Chivas 12 year old
88 points, 40%, $50

“Chivas 12 is a smooth, rich, generous blend, perfect for the connoisseur or someone looking to start their scotch whisky journey,” says Sandy Hyslop, director of blending and inventory at Chivas Brothers. With its mix of bourbon and sherry cask maturation, this creamy dram is made from Speyside single malts, with Strathisla at its heart. Hyslop adds, “Chivas 12 year old blends the finest malt and grain whiskies—each of which has been matured for at least 12 years—to deliver luxurious honey, vanilla, and ripe apple notes.” Chivas overhauled the look of its flagship brand in 2021, unveiling a sleeker, taller, and lighter bottle in a new burgundy box that is fully recyclable.

Cutty Sark
88 points, 40%, $20

When London merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd launched this clean, light, floral scotch in 1923, it had the export market in mind. Cutty Sark is named after a 19th century tea clipper ship, itself named for the fastest witch in Robert Burns’ “Tam o’Shanter.” Popular in the U.S. during Prohibition, Cutty Sark became the market’s no.-1 selling blended scotch in the 1960s. The key whiskies in the blend are Glenrothes, Tamdhu, and Bunnahabhain, with grain whiskies from North British and Invergordon, and smaller contributions from other distilleries—creating notes of creamy vanilla, melon, and spice. While all the whiskies on this list are excellent for home cocktails, Cutty Sark is perhaps the best of them all.

Johnnie Walker Black Label
91 points, 40%, $35

The smokiest whisky in this lineup, its balance of fresh fruit, creamy toffee, sweet vanilla, and smoke deliver a rich, smooth drinking experience. “Smokiness is a major signature of the Johnnie Walker blends, and Black Label is a great example,” says Johnnie Walker’s former master blender Jim Beveridge. Launched in 1906, this 12 year old was originally known as Extra Special Old Highland. Johnnie Walker uses at least 30 whiskies from all across Scotland, but the principal components include smoky Caol Ila, sweet fruit and spice from Cardhu and Clynelish, light fruitiness from Glenkinchie, and sweet grain from Cameronbridge. If you love this whisky, the Johnnie Walker Black Label Origins series offers further exploration.

Blended Irish

Black Bush
88 points, 40%, $35

Whiskey connoisseurs are usually drawn to Bushmills’ higher priced single malt range, but should not ignore the distillery’s versatile blends. Black Bush is the pick of the bunch for sherry lovers, with flavors of plum, cherry, raisin, black grape, cinnamon, spice, and chocolate cigarillos. This expression is derived from Old Bushmills Special Old Liqueur whiskey, a bottling made from the 1930s to the 1960s. “Black Bush is our special blend, and we think it’s our best-kept secret,” says Bushmills master distiller Colum Egan. “It combines a uniquely high proportion of malt whiskey matured in former oloroso sherry casks with a sweet, batch-distilled grain whiskey.” That recipe creates rich, fruity notes and a deeply intense but smooth profile.

Paddy’s
84 points, 40%, $20

Paddy O’Flaherty (1850–1928) traveled Ireland selling a label called Cork Distillery Company Old Irish whiskey. He became so well known that his customers simply began asking for Paddy O’Flaherty’s whiskey. His signature was added to the label in 1913. Today Paddy’s is a blend of sourced triple-distilled single pot still, single malt, and single grain Irish whiskeys and is predominantly matured in bourbon casks, with some sherry and port wood. “Paddy’s is one of the easiest drinking Irish whiskeys because of its understated softness and exquisite smoothness,” says Drew Mayville, master blender for Sazerac, Paddy’s owner. “The taste is light and fruity, with highlights of toffee, honey, malt, and vanilla, with a lingering pepperiness and oakiness.”

Tullamore D.E.W.
88 points, 40%, $23

Tullamore D.E.W. is a blend of three Irish whiskey styles, striking a balance between sweet grain, fruity malt, and spicy pot still. The initials were added in 1893 for then-owner Daniel Edmund Williams, who made the whiskey famous in the 19th and early 20th centuries. “Having the single malt component alongside pot still and grain whiskey creates a gentle green apple note that rounds out the blend,” says Tullamore D.E.W. master blender Brian Kinsman. “This is arguably one of the most complex Irish whiskeys to make, as we balance single malt and pot still—both matured in bourbon, refill, and sherry casks—and then overlay them on grain whiskey matured in bourbon and refill [casks].”

AMERICAN

Bulleit Bourbon
88 points, 45%, $25

“Raw, high-quality ingredients are at the heart of Bulleit,” says master blender Andrew MacKay. “The high rye content gives it a bold, spicy character with a distinctively smooth, clean finish. Kentucky limestone-filtered water provides a foundation for the bourbon’s character, while charred American oak barrels lend a smoky backbone.” It was launched 35 years ago and was once made at Four Roses, but current owner Diageo has given Bulleit two new distilleries, opening the Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville, Kentucky in 2017 and the Lebanon Distillery in 2021. MacKay adds, “It’s the only bourbon on the market to employ two mashbills, five yeast strains, and 10 distillates, all of which help to create consistency from bottle to bottle.”

Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey
85 points, 40%, $33

Gentleman Jack arrived in 1988, and it’s all about smoothness. “The difference for Gentleman [compared to Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7] is the second pass through our charcoal,” explains master distiller Chris Fletcher. Jack Daniel runs its unaged spirit through charcoal mellowing vats, a process that takes three to five days. For Gentleman Jack, this exercise is repeated after the aged whiskey leaves the barrel. Fletcher finds aromas of pear, banana, soft caramel, and vanilla on the front of the palate, and a finish with a touch of toasted oak on the back. “I love Gentleman Jack poured neat during cooler weather,” says Fletcher. “I allow my hand to warm the glass, which drives more of the fruity esters out into the aromas.”

Knob Creek 9 year old Small Batch Bourbon
92 points, 50%, $35

Jim Beam master distiller Booker Noe (1929–2004) created Knob Creek in 1992, when terms like craft and small batch didn’t exist in the whiskey world. “Dad wanted to make a bourbon with the rich, full flavor and high quality standards of pre-Prohibition style whiskey,” recalls Booker’s son and 7th generation master distiller Fred Noe. “When he did that with Knob Creek—aging it for 9 years and bottling it at 100 proof—he opened people’s eyes to what bourbon could be.” Matured in heavily charred American white oak, this is the highest-proof whiskey on our list, and its thick palate is laced with vanilla, dark berries, leather, and roasted walnuts.

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As With Bourbon, Kentucky Is a Thoroughbred Pacesetter

Just down the road from bourbon’s best-known distilleries lies Bluegrass Country, thoroughbred capital of the world.

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Kentucky, land of bourbon and horses, is a magical place. Within her borders lie hundreds of equine farms, making the Bluegrass State the world’s leader in thoroughbreds as well as bourbon. With more than a million acres of Kentucky land maintained for horses, it’s hard to miss the rolling pastures that are home to these remarkable creatures, that can be seen munching on grass and swatting pesky flies with their tails as you drive by.

Kentucky became home to thoroughbreds for many of the same reasons bourbon did: a four-season climate, fresh air, and limestone-filtered water. While providing a superb base ingredient for whiskey, the water also delivers a wallop of bone-building calcium to the pasture grass, along with its famous tinge of blue. Horses and bourbon were part of the picture even before Kentucky became a state in 1792. Commercial whiskey was distilled in Kentucky since the 1700s, and explorer Daniel Boone is credited with introducing a bill in Kentucky’s first Legislative Assembly aimed at “improving the breed of horses.”

Today’s Bluegrass country—a patchwork of pastureland stretching throughout central Kentucky—is home to more than 450 horse farms, many with storied pedigrees. Claiborne Farm in Paris, owned by the Hancock family for over a century, has been home to big-name horses like Secretariat and Seabiscuit. Nearby Runnymede Farm has raised thoroughbreds since the end of the Civil War. Stonestreet Farm is owned by the Jackson family, the renowned California vintners known for Kendall-Jackson and a host of other wines. Using his experience in finding and cultivating vineyard land in California, the family’s late patriarch, Jess Jackson, sought out just the right location for horses. Calumet Farm in Lexington, identified by its pristine white fencing and red-trimmed white barns, holds the record for the highest number of Kentucky Derby winners, at eight.

Founded in 1962 by Alice Chandler, Mill Ridge Farm raises and sells thoroughbred race horses. (Photo by John Stephen Hockensmith)

Raising A Winner

A horse doesn’t randomly grow up to race in the Kentucky Derby. Planning is often years in the making—with science, genetics, racing history, bone structure, and a little luck thrown in—before breeding takes place. The horse farms themselves are luxury accommodations with well-appointed barns (some with chandeliers and padded floors), manicured pastures, and impeccably maintained fencing.

Ashford Stud Farm in Versailles is part of Ireland-based Coolmore Stud, the world’s largest thoroughbred breeder, which is owned by Irish business magnate John Magnier. (Ashford’s land was originally part of a cattle farm owned by Col. Edmund H. Taylor Jr., founder of Old Taylor Distillery in nearby Frankfort, recently restored and rechristened as Castle & Key.) At Ashford, the horses lead a cushy life filled with sunshine and fresh air, and each has about a private acre of pasture. The farm employs more than 100 people—all focused on caring for its 16 stallions—either working directly with the horses or maintaining the farm’s 4,000 acres of lush grounds.

Enjoy Bourbon and Horses Together at Hermitage Farm

When a male horse’s racing career is over—usually around age three or four—he is put out to stud at farms like Ashford, where his job is to sire offspring to carry on his genes. Sometimes that job can go on for many years: An Ashford horse named Tale of the Cat, but often called the Elder Statesman, is 27 years old and still up to the task. In spring mating season, the stallion will breed with a mare—sometimes up to four times a day. The stud fee will depend on his racing history, pedigree, or both. One sought-after stallion is Uncle Mo, who is recognized more for his prized offspring than his racing career. When one of his colts, Nyquist, won the Kentucky Derby in 2016, Uncle Mo’s stud fee doubled to $150,000, and currently stands at $175,000. American Pharoah, who won racing’s Triple Crown (first-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes) in 2015, commands a stud fee of $100,000. The price of entry is steep, but the returns can be sizable: Two years ago, one of American Pharoah’s offspring sold for $8.2 million.

A female horse is known as a filly until age 3 or 4 and is then called a broodmare during her fertile years, from age 3 to 22. The females also have plush accommodations and spend their days frolicking in the pastures with their fellow mares. Gainesway Farm in Lexington works with horses at all stages of their lives, but typically has 100 or so broodmares on its 1,500 acres. At breeding time—usually from February through the first week of July—they help mare owners matchmake with one of the farm’s seven studs. “We find out whether [the owners] want to breed, race, or sell, we research the pedigree, and we discuss a price range,” says Lakota Gibson, who handles sales and breeding at Gainesway. “Then we can find the right stallion.” A mare’s pregnancy, known as being “in foal,” lasts about 11 months, so she gives birth about once a year. As her due date approaches, the farm’s veterinarians monitor the mare around the clock.

Tapit, one of seven stallions at Gainesway Farm, commands a stud fee of $185,000. (Photo by Equisport Photos)

Life for most of these horses begins at the nursery farms, which pamper the mother mare and raise the foal for its first year or year and a half of life—essentially serving as an equine preschool. Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington has been raising thoroughbreds for six generations. Alice Headley Chandler, who grew up on the land, established Mill Ridge in 1962 to focus on foals, and has raised many winners there. The farm covers about 600 acres and is sometimes home to more than 225 foals. The babies stay with their mothers until being weaned when they’re a few months old. The weanling (a foal that is no longer nursing) then gets moved to the fields with other adolescents. These teens, still getting used to their long legs and newfound freedom, play with their peers all day. Mill Ridge keeps a few older mares with them as a bit of adult supervision. The foals usually stay on the farm until the autumn of their yearling year, then head off to begin a life of training and racing.

When their careers are over, the horses need a place to live out their golden years. There are several retirement farms across the state, and among the best known is Old Friends Farm. This 236-acre retirement facility in Georgetown pampers thoroughbreds in their final years. Their mission is to provide a dignified retirement to the 128 horses that live there. Guests are welcome to walk the fence lines, led by a tour guide who can expound upon the achievements of its most famous residents. “We give the horses a sanctuary where they can live out their days,” says Old Friends board chair Cynthia Grisolia. “And we offer an opportunity to unite them with their fans.”

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Build Yourself a Barrel-Aged Home Bar

This collection of cognac, rum, tequila, gin, Cachaça, and wine will give you and your guests the full barrel-aged experience.

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Barrel aging is a crucial part of whisky making—it gives the spirit its color and adds a greater depth of flavor over time. Some styles even mandate the type of barrel or vessel used to age the whiskey. Bourbon, for example, is legally required to be placed in a new charred oak container meaning that once a barrel has been emptied, it can never be used to make bourbon again. So what happens to those barrels? They can be used to aged other types of whiskey like American single malt, or other types of spirits like gin, rum, or cognac.

Bourbon barrel aging can give these other spirits, and wine as well, an added dimension, as the oak likewise imparts color, but also flavors left behind from the whiskey. Taste that influence for yourself with these 10 bottles that offer something for whisky lovers looking to branch our into other spirits, and fans of those spirits looking to develop a taste for oak.

10 bourbon barrel-Aged spirits and wines to try now

Don Papa 10 year old Rum—43%, $70
This is Don Papa’s flagship rum—aged 7 years in bourbon barrels—but aged an additional 3 years in the same barrels that have been re-charred, resulting in a bolder spirit with cacao, roasted coffee beans, spice, tropical fruit, and toasted vanilla.

Martell Blue Swift Spirit Drink—40%, $46
With a base of VSOP cognac that’s finished for several months in bourbon barrels from Kentucky, Blue Swift has flavors of ginger, plum, and candied fruit followed by distinctive hints of vanilla and toasted oak.

Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin—47%, $34
This fragrant and vibrant yet mellow gin is aged for a minimum of 12 months in charred new American oak barrels, which introduce caramel and vanilla without sacrificing the juniper and pepper notes.

Don Julio 1942 Tequila Añejo—40%, $140
Aged at least 2 1/2 years in bourbon barrels, this has roasted agave, vanilla, sun-ripened tropical fruits, with spiced undertones and a lingering touch of oak on the palate.

Espolòn Añejo Tequila—40%, $35
Espòlon Añejo is aged for a year—10 months in new American oak and 2 months in deeply charred Wild Turkey bourbon barrels. Vanilla and butterscotch complement the agave and earthy characteristics.

Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça—40%, $35
This cachaça is aged 2 years in Kentucky bourbon barrels that have been taken apart, sanded, and re-toasted. Dominant flavors include banana bread, chocolate, cinnamon bark, coffee, and toasty black pepper.

Beringer Bros. Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon—14.2%, $20
Twenty percent of this cabernet is aged for 60 days in bourbon barrels, resulting in ripe tannins, toasted hazelnuts, blackberry, dark chocolate, vanilla, toffee, and black cherry preserves.

Ménage à Trois Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon—14.8%, $15
Jammy blueberry and blackberry flavors, plus oak, vanilla, caramel and smoky spice characteristics are the result of aging 3 months in barrels that previously held Amador Whiskey Co. Double Barrel bourbon.

1000 Stories 2018 Zinfandel Batch #71—15.8%, $20
Aged in bourbon barrels for 3 months, this zinfandel’s subtle ripeness perfectly marries with the grilled herbs, sweet vanilla, and char flavors of the oak, with the kick of bourbon influence rounding out the finish.

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Woodford Reserve Barrel Finish—15.2%, $50
After maturing 11 months in French oak, this pinot noir is aged 4 months in freshly emptied Woodford Reserve barrels. The palate is rich and juicy with soft tannins and lush red and black berries, with balanced acidity.

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How Used Bourbon Barrels Give Other Spirits (and Wines) New Dimension

All kinds of spirits, and even wine, are sing bourbon barrels to impart flavors.

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Once bourbon is ready to move from barrel to bottle, that barrel is up for grabs—since under U.S. law bourbon can be aged only in new oak. There’s a long tradition of distillers in Scotland, Japan, and Ireland buying used bourbon barrels to mature their whiskies, but more recently a bourbon barrel’s life has expanded well beyond whisky. “The great thing about bourbon barrels is their versatility,” says national educator for Don Julio tequila Jorge Raptis. “They’ve become popular for aging a variety of products—even cooking sauces and chocolates—but most notably other spirits outside of whisky.”

Indeed, oak-aged expressions can be found for nearly every spirits type. In rum, there’s Don Papa from the Philippines, Santa Teresa 1796 from Venezuela, and Mount Gay from Barbados, to name just a few. Tequila is similarly abundant in oak-aged expressions from brands including Don Julio, Lunazul, Ocho, Espolòn, and more. Even typically unaged spirits are getting in the game: Philadelphia Distilling, New Riff Distilling, KO Distillery, and Caledonia Spirits all offer gins aged in either new or used American oak barrels. There’s even an oak-aged vodka on the market from OYO Distillery.

The wine world has also joined in. “When we launched our 1000 Stories bourbon barrel-aged zinfandel back in 2014, it was the first widely available wine of this kind,” notes Bob Blue, winemaker for Fetzer winery’s 1000 Stories label. “Folks were absolutely ready to experience wine in this new way—our sales skyrocketed.”

American oak is used for aging spirits of all kinds, and for some very good reasons. For starters, American oak is chock-full of sweet compounds that offer flavors of vanilla and toffee, while it is also porous enough to allow for sufficient levels of oxidation. There is also the practical issue of supply: American oak barrels tend to be more abundant than most barrel types, and therefore are easy to acquire once bourbon producers are done with them.

“Bourbon barrels are charred at high temperatures rather than toasted the way French oak wine barrels are,” says Zidanelia Arcidiacono of California winery Sonoma-Cutrer. “Any liquid you put inside will absorb aromatic and flavor compounds like caramel, hazelnut, spices, and honey.”

Familiar, Yet Different

Bourbon’s popularity is undeniable, so it makes sense that other spirits producers and wine makers would look for ways to attract bourbon fans. Aging and finishing in bourbon oak accomplishes that goal, as it imparts familiar bourbon-like flavors. “Our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Woodford Reserve Barrel Finish gives bourbon lovers an opportunity to try something different, but with a familiarity they’ll enjoy,” says Zidanelia Arcidiacono, who makes the pinot noir for California winery Sonoma-Cutrer—which has an inside track on barrel supply as it’s owned by Brown-Forman, also owner of Woodford Reserve and Old Forester, as well as Tennessee whiskey Jack Daniel’s. “It works the opposite way too: I love pinot noir, and find myself delighted by the bourbon-barrel flavor in this wine.”

Still, American oak is very different from other types of wood traditionally used to age wine. “A bourbon barrel gives you a completely different aroma and flavor profile—you’ve got to understand how much it will change your product,” says Arcidiacono. “Bourbon barrels are charred at high temperatures rather than toasted the way French oak wine barrels are. The charring allows for some caramelization on the interior surface of the barrel, and any liquid you put inside will absorb aromatic and flavor compounds like caramel, hazelnut, spices, and honey.”

“People the world over love the sensorial characteristics American oak imparts on spirits, from bourbon to scotch to tequila to cachaça,” says Novo Fogo marketing director Luke McKinley. “When people first try our barrel-aged cachaça many say, ‘This tastes like bourbon!’ to which we add, ‘Yes, it tastes like American oak because bourbon tastes like American oak!’ Ultimately, the barrel-aged cachaça is both recognizable and totally unique because of this combination of North American wood and South American spirit.”

Seeking to attract American whiskey fans over to the world of French cognac, Martell Cognac released Blue Swift—a base of VSOP cognac aged in French oak casks and finished in bourbon barrels—in 2016. (The product’s finish in bourbon barrels means it can no longer legally be called cognac and is instead referred to as a “spirit drink.”) The cognac’s delicate candied fruit and plum flavors are complemented by the notes of vanilla sweetness and toasted oak from the bourbon barrels.

Build a Barrel-Aged Bar With These 10 Bottles

For 1000 Stories, bourbon-barrel aging began as an experiment with its zinfandel, but the winemaking team was so impressed by the results that it expanded the portfolio to include a bourbon barrel-aged red blend, cabernet sauvignon, and chardonnay. “These wines are different—period,” Blue says. “The bourbon barrels add texture and richness to the wine, especially with the added mid-palate that comes from the influence of the whiskey that lingers in the wood. It’s just something you don’t see with traditional winemaking.”

Trinchero Family Estates has found a rapt audience for its Ménage à Trois Bourbon Barrel cabernet sauvignon. “Aging cabernet in bourbon barrels is all about taking what’s best about the wine and making it even more flavorful,” says Trinchero senior vice president of winemaking Glenn Andrade. “Bourbon softens heavily charred barrels, making them ideal candidates for aging wine. The barrels also impart smoky notes along with flavors of marzipan, cinnamon, and nutmeg—all great nuances for cabernet sauvignon. Just three months of aging in bourbon barrels goes a long way.”

Age Matters

For its bourbon barrel-aged wines—including a chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and red blend—Beringer Bros. sources used American oak barrels and ages its wines in them for 60 days. “The average age of our barrels is 4 years—we’ve found that older used barrels allow for a better integration of flavors,” says Beringer Bros. winemaker Ryan Rech. “Used bourbon barrels tend to impart fewer tannins but are still intense, with great flavors of vanilla, coconut, dill, and sawdust.”

Aging and finishing in bourbon oak imparts familiar whiskey-like flavors to other spirits and drinks. (Photo by Jeff Harris)

Blue of 1000 Stories also prefers aging in older barrels, which he sources from a variety of Kentucky distillers, because they impart more bourbon character to the wine. “Older barrels add mature vanilla and spice aromas without the intensity of raw wood, which can be overly smoky or even bitter in newer barrels,” he explains, adding that he does play with newer barrels for “perfuming the wine.” This is when small amounts of wine are added to new barrels, imparting a clean, white-smoke aroma from the char and rustic texture from the new oak—this wine alone would be too intense to drink, but when small quantities are added to the overall wine blend, it adds a subtle and appealing aromatic note.

Ménage à Trois uses barrels from its sister brand, Amador Whiskey Co. Once Amador’s Double Barrel bourbon is finished aging in new American oak, Ménage à Trois’s cabernet sauvignon is added to the still-wet casks for 3 months of aging. “New char is just too aggressive,” Andrade says. “We’ve found that the nuances of our various Amador whiskey mashbills add complexity to the wine that we otherwise wouldn’t get from new charred oak.”

Stephen Carroll, founder of Don Papa rum, works with a supplier out of Louisville, Kentucky to source bourbon barrels for aging. “We use other barrel types as well, but from our perspective, the bourbon casks dominate in terms of creating a product with deep flavor and a smooth mouthfeel,” he says. “We’ve also purchased some virgin American oak and placed rum in them, evaluating the liquid in these barrels every three to six months to see how they’re progressing. At the moment, our verdict is that it still needs more time. We’ll see how this continues to develop.”

American oak introduces aromas and flavor notes of vanilla, toffee, butterscotch, and hazelnut, which integrates well with a variety of spirits, including rum, tequila, and gin, as well as wine.

Novo Fogo sources bourbon barrels from Four Roses and Heaven Hill, and has a cooper in Brazil sand and re-toast them. “The cooper shaves off the char and some of the bourbon that has soaked into the wood and re-toasts the wood to a variety of levels—this is because in the hot, humid climate of Morretes, Brazil, the ‘devil’s cut’ of bourbon that has soaked into the wood would leach into our cachaça, making for a far more bourbon-y spirit than we desire,” McKinley explains. “What’s cool is that, unlike bourbon producers, we can fill barrels with cachaça over and over again until the oak has very little left to give to the liquid. Even then, our cooper can shave and toast the staves to give new life to a very old barrel.”

Although the use of bourbon barrels for aging and finishing is most common, it’s not unheard of to age other spirits in new American oak. “We use new American oak barrels, which we purchase from Independent Stave Company, for a couple reasons,” says Andrew Auwerda, president and founder of Philadelphia Distilling, producer of Bluecoat Barrel Finished gin. “First, we want to capture the same big flavors from the wood that bourbon gets, and using new charred barrels means we get first crack at extracting the vanillin, sugar, lactones, and all of the other flavors generated in that wood during the barrel raising. And second, using new barrels also means that there’s no other spirit’s influence on our product.”

Espolòn Tequila similarly uses new American oak barrels for all of its aged expressions, with its Añejo finished in Wild Turkey barrels for the best of both worlds. “New barrels contribute better to the flavor profile we’re seeking, whereas used barrels would be slower to change the flavor profile and the bourbon would add different notes,” says Espolòn’s global brand ambassador Angel Delgado. “For our aged expressions, we transfer the liquid into #2 char American oak barrels at a relatively low alcohol by volume, which means less water gets added before bottling, to lock in more of that pure tequila flavor.”

The post How Used Bourbon Barrels Give Other Spirits (and Wines) New Dimension appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

Whisky Rooms Put Personal Collections on Full Display

You’ve heard of home bars, but how about an entire room in your home devoted to storing and enjoying your whisky?

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Shut out of bars by the pandemic, whisky lovers are bringing their passion to life in their own homes by building whisky rooms. Fusing the functionality of a cellar with the atmosphere of a club, whisky rooms are a space not only to store your whisky, but also to hang out and sip. They come in all shapes, styles, and sizes.

“I had a very specific feel I wanted for my room—something with a very early 20th century-hotel feel to it,” says Nicholas Pagan, who finished his whisky room at his home in Morgan Hill, California last August. His space, which he calls “The Parlor,” has early 1900s hotel-style furniture sourced from online retailer Wayfair to suit the space and aesthetic.

Pagan had a fairly easy time procuring the furniture, which was all brand new. “I would have loved to use antiques, but the budget didn’t really allow for that,” he said. While the furnishings proved simple to acquire, Pagan did encounter some issues with shelving. “None of the shelving came with guardrails, and since we’re in earthquake country, that was an absolute must,” he says. To resolve this issue, Pagan turned to Pinterest, where he found a photo that looked similar to the guardrail shelving he wanted. “More out of necessity than want, I built all the shelving out of ½-inch steel pipe and wood, which I stained to give it an aged look,” he adds. The parlor look that Pagan wanted shines throughout the room, with its burgundy armchairs, classic wooden chess set, and crystal decanters for some of the whiskies. That decor is embraced by walls of whisky, prominently displayed on those shelves Pagan built himself.

Nicholas Pagan sips whiskey in his custom whiskey room which he dubbed The Parlor. (Photo by Stan Olszewski/SOSKIphoto)

Show Off Those Bottles

Pagan’s concern over shelving was well placed. In any whisky room, the shelving is not just a means of storing and displaying whisky—it’s the focus of the entire space. Many people want to store their whisky standing upright so all the bottles can be seen, notes Jim Cash, founder of Revel Custom Wine Cellars in East Lansing, Michigan. That method is also important for preservation, because the cork influence can seep into a whisky when it’s stored horizontally.

“In a wine cellar, the wines are laid down, but in a whisky cellar, the bottles will have more visibility,” says Cash, adding that a whisky room needs wall space that goes high rather than deep, as required for wine. He recommends using glass for the room’s external walls so the whiskeys are visible from an adjacent space, where you might be shooting pool or smoking cigars.

When Pagan and his wife Chelsea were searching for their home last spring, he was already thinking of a dedicated space for storing and sipping his whisky. “As we were looking at each location, I was building the room in my head,” he said. “Things like direct sunlight, temperature changes, size, and space became part of our house-buying decision.”

Factors that Pagan considered in his house hunt are similar to those of professional cellar designers. In terms of climate control, Cash notes that a home whisky room will have more flexibility than with wine. “We’re always shooting for something at approximately 55 degrees and 70% humidity [for wine], and that’s not necessary for whisky,” Cash says.

Since a whisky room will be a place where people spend a good chunk of their time, Cash emphasizes the importance of aesthetics. He starts by asking clients about the style of their home, and then poses additional questions about what aesthetics they prefer. “Generally, they will know something, or have something to offer as inspiration, and we take it from there,” he adds. In his designs, Cash often incorporates artwork and memorabilia his clients wish to showcase, and that can help establish a theme.

Pro Tips for Building Your Own Whisky Room

In Weston, Massachusetts, Baljit Gill had a clear aesthetic vision for his whisky room: a library theme. “My wife and I designed the room ourselves and knew what type of material we needed, though the actual build was done by a local carpentry company,” Gill says. Wood was central to the theme, and the hardwood they used for the space had some structural benefits as well. “I knew the weight of the bottles would be a challenge, so we went with the hardest wood possible,” Gill notes, adding the room’s wooden bottle encasement is made of hardwood and is a heavyweight all on its own. “It weighs 6,000 pounds [without the bottles] and sits on a metal frame, six inches above the ground.”

Gill’s grand bottle display and storage cabinet sit against a wall, but it’s certainly a strong focal point. A table in the center of the room is built atop whisky barrels, and a library ladder adds a thematic touch, as well as being a functional tool for reaching bottles in the overhead spaces. Creating this elaborate storage capacity was a necessity, as Gill’s bottle collection is an impressive one. “I have around 1,200 bottles, split between single malts, pure malts, some bourbons and rye, and a few blends,” he says. Gill also keeps around 400 bottles of wine. His whisky room has a wine refrigerator, but his next project is to add a wine wall.

Baljit Gill constructed a library-themed whisky room in his Massachusetts home that showcases around 1,200 bottles. (Photo by Joe St. Pierre)

The large wooden encasement for Gill’s bottles looks a lot like a bookshelf, which underpins the whisky library theme. It also boasts a major benefit: security. “The locking system is biometric-driven, and only my wife and I have access to it,” Gill says, adding that this feature was custom-designed. He and his wife have two children, and as the kids grow up, the parents want to ensure that “all the alcohol is in one confined space and in a controlled manner,” he says.

A Place To Hang

Cash emphasizes that a whisky room can be whatever a client wants it to be. His company has designed tasting spaces that feature a whisky barrel in the room, he says. “You can really go wild if you want to,” he adds. For Pagan, relaxation is the name of the game. “My room is quiet and cozy,” he says. “Whenever we have guests over, it’s a very popular place to hang out. I plan on having my poker nights in there, once I can safely do so again. But even with just one person visiting, it’s a great place to just sit and catch up.”

With around 500 bottles in his whisky room, Pagan and his friends like to enjoy a dram or two while they catch up. “Being a collector for nearly a decade, I have accumulated a few pretty special bottles,” he says. Some of his more prized additions include Green Spot 26 year old, Mister Sam Tribute whiskey, Blade and Bow 22 year old, Heaven Hill 14 year old, 1792 225th Anniversary Edition, and Caol Ila 20 year old Artist Collective, which he got on a trip to Paris with his wife. “What’s great about having this room is being able to go in, scan the shelves, see something I haven’t tried in a while, and go for it,” Pagan says. He opted not to include a television or any other distractions so he and his guests can focus on conversation, although there is a chessboard if visitors are interested.

At Joe Hayhoe’s home in Urbandale, Iowa, the whisky room has an interesting twist: it’s a secret space in his basement, behind a door that looks like a simple shelving unit. That door leads into Hayhoe’s personal speakeasy—dubbed The Blind Pig—that also houses his whisky collection. “It came about when my love of whisky collided with my wife’s love for having counter space in the kitchen,” Hayhoe jokes. “A few buddies and I were sitting around enjoying a drink, the thought of building a basement speakeasy came up, and it snowballed from there. I began mapping out the space and all the changes that would be needed.”

The Blind Pig came together in about two and a half months, with the Prohibition theme centered around artwork and memorabilia—including framed original Prohibition-era liquor prescriptions purchased on e-commerce website Etsy, an original 1933 newspaper cover of the Chicago Daily Tribune with the headline “Iowa Votes for Dry Repeal” from eBay, and other non-original Prohibition artwork Hayhoe found online. Exposed brick walls enhance the speakeasy theme, and there’s a small bar where guests can sip while listening to the record player or playing at the dartboard.

Now that Hayhoe’s speakeasy is complete, he enjoys many of his favorite pours there—including Smoke Wagon Private Barrel, High West Midwinter Night’s Dram, E.H. Taylor Single Barrel, Angel’s Envy finished rye, and Elijah Craig 18 year old. “I’m excited about sharing great drinks and great conversation with friends and family [in this room] for years to come,” Hayhoe says.

A man poses in front of his whisky collection

Jefferson’s Tavern is the name of Brian Latwis’s whisky room. It’s a space he created to display his 300 whiskies, gather with friends and family, or just relax with a pour. (Photo by Rachel Vanni)

A Tavern At Home

Brian Latwis of Bayville, New Jersey had a whisky collection that once occupied just a couple of bookshelves, but eventually grew to need an entire room. Latwis built his home whisky room in the theme of an old-style tavern. In keeping with that idea, the space offers ample places for setting down your dram—a counter, a table, a bar with several stools, and a small table made from a whisky barrel that bears the room’s name: “Jefferson’s Tavern Bourbon & Cigars Est. 2014.” While the bottles occupy most of the wall space, there’s room for a quote painted on the wall that reads, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy whiskey, and that is pretty close.”

Though not facing earthquake concerns like Pagan, Latwis found it challenging to make sure the gas-pipe shelving was secure. He didn’t simply hang the shelving on the wall; instead, he mounted it directly to the wood framework of the room. “I made sure the gas piping was mounted directly to the ceiling joists and into the studs in the wall,” he says. “But I also reinforced each gas pipe with wire directly attached to the ceiling joists. There are a lot of bottles on each shelf, so ensuring the shelving could handle the weight was my number-one objective.” All of Latwis’s hard work paid off, and he now spends time in his whisky room every day. It’s home to the wide variety of whiskies in his 300-bottle collection, which includes many expressions from Buffalo Trace, such as Weller Full Proof, Eagle Rare 17 year old, Stagg Jr, and Blanton’s. The collection also includes Jefferson’s—one of his favorite bourbons and inspiration for the room’s name. “I named this place Jefferson’s Tavern because Jefferson’s is one of my favorite bourbons, and also because I live on Jefferson Avenue,” he says.

Like others with their whisky rooms, Latwis enjoys connecting and relaxing with friends and family in his personal tavern. “I love whisky, but it’s about more than just the whisky,” he says. “I go there to socialize, relax, unwind, and to look at the bottles. It is a great place to …enjoy whisky with others. When I have company, it is fun to just hang.” He adds that the room has been especially helpful during the pandemic, as it creates an atmosphere of being out while he’s still at home. But the room’s best decor seems to be the whisky itself. “The whiskies on these shelves are like photographs on a wall, representing different moments in my life,” he says. “I can remember where I bought them and who I’ve poured them with. Those bottles are connected to memories—it’s like looking at pictures. I love to have a glass and get lost in thought.”

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Pro Tips for Building Your Own Whisky Room

Use these tips from someone who build wine cellars and whiskey rooms for a living to get started on your own.

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Want a whisky room of your own? Whether you enlist the help of a professional like Jim Cash of Revel Custom Wine Cellars or go the DIY route, here are some tips for minding the whisky in your room.

Show Your Bottles Off

While wine is typically stored horizontally in a cellar to allow for more space, this room is all about your whisky, so show off those labels by displaying whisky bottles standing up. Plus, if whisky is stored laying down, the cork could alter the flavor over time and you certainly don’t want your spirit to be tainted!

Lock ‘Em Up

A whisky collection is no cheap endeavor, and you’ll want to keep your bottles safe. A vault or locked cabinet can be perfect for a small selection of rarer bottles that you want to protect—just make sure not to lose the key! If you’d rather lock up your entire collection, like Baljit Gill did with his whisky room, you should consider glass-front cabinets that lock, so your whisky is on display and secure.

Watch The Empty Space

Whisky doesn’t age in the bottle—in fact, it oxidizes. Over time, the oxygen in an opened, partially full bottle could alter the whisky’s flavor. While it may be tempting to walk into your roomful of whisky and want to sample from many pieces of your collection, be careful not to have too many bottles open at once.

Build That Collection

If you have a whole room dedicated to whisky, it’s the perfect opportunity to broaden your whisky horizons and accumulate more bottles. The best way to learn which whiskies you like is by trying them at your local bar, a friend’s home, or even a local liquor store that offers samples. Building a relationship with liquor store employees can also help keep you abreast of new releases and promotions. Plus the Whisky Advocate Buying Guide is a great resource to guide your next purchase.

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Irish Whiskeys Of Great Age Showcase Excellence in Maturation

Carefully managed stocks are leading to highly aged Irish whiskies that can rival scotch and Japanese whiskies with their balance and beauty.

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Irish whiskey is starting to challenge the assumption that ultra-aged whisky is the preserve of Scotland and Japan. The decimation of the Irish whiskey industry in the mid-20th century left very few operational distilleries and precious little stock. Extraordinarily old casks are therefore rare, but the rising importance of Irish whiskeys of great age—at least 25 years and older—is still among the more interesting manifestations of Ireland’s whiskey renaissance.

Bushmills has the largest stock of aged single malt whiskey in Ireland. In 2020, it launched The Rare Casks, an annual series sold exclusively in the U.S. The first release was Bushmills 28 year old, which received 16 years of secondary maturation in a cognac cask after its traditional Bushmills aging in bourbon and sherry casks. Bushmills built up stock in the 1990s and was actively experimenting with non-traditional cask types when this cognac cask was filled, without any definitive plan for using it. But this Rare Cask Release No. 1 holds a special place for Bushmills master blender Helen Mulholland: Back in 1992, she performed the laboratory analysis on the batch of malted barley that was used for this expression. “I have watched it every single year as it got better and better,” she says.

Mulholland remains convinced that triple-distilled spirits work well with extended maturation, because age and cask influences build layers of flavor. “Triple distilled probably works much better than double distilled because it’s able to take that length of maturation without becoming over-woody or over-flavored,” she says. “The house flavor of Bushmills is sweet and fruity, and because it has that smoothness and subtlety, it’s easy to enhance without letting the cask overpower it.”

Bushmills master blender Helen Mulholland believes triple distillation works best with extended maturation because it allows the age and cask influence to build layers of flavor.

While the Bushmills initial maturation is in bourbon and sherry casks that produce vanilla, honey, and dried fruit flavors, those notes can be enhanced by finishing in later years, enabling the whiskey to fully integrate with other flavors. “You still want Bushmills to be there, and it has to be one liquid,” says Mulholland. Such complexity cannot be rushed, as the cognac cask slowly adds layers of sweetness and caramel flavors. “You stop seeing the cognac as they become entwined, more gentle, more settled, and more rounded,” she adds. Rare Casks Release No. 2 was 29 years old and finished in Pedro Ximénez casks.

If you’ve never tried an older Irish whiskey, what should you expect? “There is an explosion of flavor, and a refined grace from the fruit and the wood,” says Chasko, who has overseen numerous ultra-aged Teeling single malt releases in the company’s Vintage Reserve Collection. “Sometimes, you would swear they didn’t have any alcohol in them at all, it’s so well-balanced; it is like drinking nectar.” The custodians of such liquid history have a great responsibility, and the task is only possible with a strategy of active cask management. At Midleton, maturing grain and single pot still whiskeys are moved into well-seasoned refill casks so the wood doesn’t overpower the whiskey.

While still a minor player compared to Scotch and Japanese whiskies, the secondary market for collectible Irish whiskey has been soaring, with Irish Whiskey Auctions, Celtic Whiskey Auctions, and Whisky Auctioneer among the best places to check for rarities. Often the most competitive bidding is reserved for vintages of Midleton Very Rare, but now there’s a new addition to hunt down each spring: Midleton Very Rare 2021 is the first vintage to carry the signature of Kevin O’Gorman, who was named master distiller in 2020 following the departure of his predecessor, Brian Nation. O’Gorman has put his own stamp on this release, choosing whiskeys between 15 and 36 years old, aiming to deliver a particularly elegant vintage by boosting the contributions of grain whiskey and first-fill bourbon casks to enhance the floral notes. The addition of single pot still whiskey from 1984 was of particular interest to O’Gorman, as it marks the year Midleton Very Rare was first released—and forges a link to Barry Crockett, Midleton’s master distiller emeritus and the series creator.

Irish Whiskeys Of Great Age To Try

Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 2 1973
97 points, 53.6%, $45,000
Chocolate orange, pot still spice, milk chocolate, sesame seeds, shortbread with buttercream, and gingersnap.

Teeling Vintage Reserve Collection 24 year old
96 points, 46%, $500
Crème brûlée, vanilla pod, fruit syrups, sticky jam tarts, orange flan, brown sugar, spice, and hints of smoke.

Bushmills 28 year old The Rare Casks Cognac Cask (Release No. 1)
95 points, 46.7%, $500
Apricot, pineapple, lemon zest, thick-cut marmalade, orange, grapefruit, lime, peppercorn, and clove.

Midleton Very Rare Vintage 2021
94 points, 40%, $208
Rich caramel, dry spices, apple strudel, vanilla fudge, seasoned oak, banana, toasted coconut bananas in custard, and caramelized sugar.

Redbreast 27 year old
93 points, 54.6%, $500
Orange peel, pine cone, vanilla, walnut, raspberry, cherry, plums, and active spices of pepper and chiles.

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Inventive Cask Finishing Is Reshaping Irish Whiskey

Irish whiskey allows for a wide range of cask types with curious distillers experimenting with different finishes to surprising results.

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Ireland’s distillers are world leaders in whiskey finishing, with names like Teeling, West Cork, Glendalough, The Irishman, Tullamore D.E.W., Tyrconnell, The Whistler, and Jameson frequently expanding our horizons. Irish whiskey’s technical rules allow for a broad approach to finishing—which can come from either an alternative wood such as virgin Irish oak, or a cask previously seasoned by another spirit, like port, rum, or even tequila.

But finishing with alternative wood types is far from an easy path. After finding initial success with a French chestnut finish in its Method & Madness range, Midleton moved to French wild cherry, acacia, and most recently mulberry wood. But the trial and error of these experiments can be arduous. “The cherrywood tested our persistence, composure, and patience,” notes O’Gorman. French wild cherry, Prunus avium, is an open, porous wood in the same subgenus as sakura, Prunus serrulata, the increasingly popular finishing cask used in Japan. “Cherry was a very difficult one to work with, and mulberry is going along similar lines,” says Midleton master blender Billy Leighton. “With cherry, we had the casks made; it was very pronounced and different—my first descriptor was hedge clippings,” he says. “It had a green note, but also had a wood-sappy character as well.”

O’Gorman was on the verge of abandoning the trial when a suggestion was made that seemed to work. “It was a flush of the cask with whiskey, and then we filled it again,” says Leighton. Seasoning the cask with whiskey extracted some overpowering flavors that had been dominating the profile in the trial samples, and after months of work, this proved to be the right approach. It also became a valuable lesson when an order of mulberry casks arrived that were smaller in size, at 50 to 80 liters. The casks were filled with Midleton’s medium-style single pot still whiskey (they make light, medium, and heavy styles), aged between 5 and 6 years. “Maybe it was because of the size of the casks, but the wood influence just happened overnight,” says Leighton. “We’ve been very careful about what we put into the cask, how long it stays there, and when we do a re-casking to try and tone down those distinctive, heavier characteristics. These casks are almost like new wood—a little sappy in character, but maybe a touch smoky as well.” Thus far, he’s excited by the sweet, caramelized toffee apple flavors that have been developing.

Another finish favored by Ireland’s distillers has been beer-cask finishing. Ireland is world renowned for its craft beers and stouts, and brewers’ experiments with whiskey casks led to the Jameson Caskmates range. Caskmates was first conceived in 2013, when brewer Shane Long of Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery borrowed barrels from Midleton Distillery to produce an Irish whiskey-finished beer. When the barrels were returned to Midleton, the maturation team had the idea of filling them with Jameson Original. “It was a big surprise,” says O’Gorman. “The first beer style we used was a rich malty stout, and the whiskey developed additional chocolate, toffee, and coffee notes that were really intriguing.” The eventual result was the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition. The citrus, hoppy, floral notes of Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition followed in 2017, and today the range encompasses a broad array of limited editions linked to local craft brewers.

The Caskmates team at Midleton now acquires beer and stout from Eight Degrees Brewing in Mitchelstown, County Cork. Seasoning the casks with beer is a risky process, because beer’s lower alcohol strength raises the risk of microbial spoilage. The beer must be fresh: extreme care is taken to move the casks quickly and never leave them empty, while ensuring their bungs are secure, without any spillage around the bungholes. After two to three months, the beer is emptied out and the casks are filled with Jameson Original for a similar length of time.

Jameson has participated in more than a dozen collaborations with U.S. brewers, starting with KelSo Beer in Brooklyn and then Bale Breaker in Yakima, Washington, Revolution Brewing in Chicago, Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles, and Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. in Westchester County, New York. Additional projects are in the pipeline with U.S. craft brewers, as well as brewers in Norway, Canada, and South Korea. Given their limited nature and their appeal to craft beer fans and Jameson collectors, some of these $30 bottlings have fetched close to $1,000 each on Ireland’s secondary market.

Innovatively Finished Irish Whiskeys To Try

Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest
94 points, 56.5%, $320
Lemon, vanilla, meringue in creamy custard, and spices with glimpses of chocolate, coffee, and singed oak.

Glendalough 7 year old Black Pitts Porter Barrel-Finished
92 points, 46%, $50
Dark chocolate cookies, cocoa powder dark fruits, honey, roasted peppery spices, and praline.

Method & Madness Chestnut Cask-Finished
92 points, 46%, $90
Orange peel, sandalwood, granola, toast with honey, toasted cedar, spruce, spice, pecans, almond cream, and lemon.

The Whistler Imperial Stout Cask-Finished
91 points, 43%, $40
Chocolate orange, milky coffee, cocoa powder, pepper, ginger spice, black cherry, peppercorn, and dark fruits.

Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition
90 points, 40%, $37
Crisp grains, green apple, coconut macaroons, spices, stewed fruits, chocolate, peppery spice, and cooked apple.

Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Cask Finish
89 points, 40%, $40/liter
Toasted waffle and sweet cider, sugared golden apple slices, white pepper, caramel, vanilla, pepper, and clove.

West Cork IPA Cask Matured
88 points, 40%, $33
Warm bread, honey sweetness, citrus peel, lime zest, pepper, ginger, dark berries, fig, and spices.

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