stakenblocken started a discussion
12 years ago
Discussions
Aging in barrels other than bourbon or sherry
0 10
10 replies
Discussion search
Use the filters above to search this discussion.
OCeallaigh replied
Well, you see, stakenblocken, there are some finishes that are great... Nectar d'Or being one of them in my opinions, but I don't think New Oak is "boring" at all.
As I have gotten more experience with Whisky, I find that sometime I just want Whisky. Peat and Sherry and other finishes sometimes can distract from the core of the spirit.
I like sherry, and I like finishes too... but I think the emphasis should come OFF of finishes and those whiskies can be the novelties.
12 years ago 1Who liked this?
Peatpete replied
One fairly common finish that I am particularly partial to is to get whisky that is finished in port pipes (pipe is a size of port barrel) I have that Ch. Laffite bottling as well, and realy like it. However I found that the finish in that case has a huge effect on the finish. Maybe you are expecting to much of the finishes? If you want to try an interesting combination of flavours with a whisky base, try adding a drop or two of different wines/fortified wines/spirits to a measure of scotch...
12 years ago 0
MacBaker62 replied
I've got a bottle of Balvenie 14 year old caribbean cask, that was at least partially aged in a rum cask. It's very good, and according to the current issue of Whisky Advocate, is a good malt to pair with a premium cigar.
12 years ago 0
Victor replied
@MacBaker62, I agree with you completely about the Balvenie 14 yo Caribbean Cask being a very lovely dram. Our bottle was locked up at first, though, and took a couple of months to open up the flavours and get to that point.
12 years ago 0
Cardinal replied
I agree about the Caribbean Cask needing some time to open up the flavors . When I open the bottle I was not that impressed , I came back to it several months later and it is my go to at the moment. @Victor
12 years ago 0
Abunadhman replied
At Edradour in 2004, I had a sensational malt that had been finished in Chateau d'Yquem casks. From memory it was about 6 pounds for a generous measure in the shop. I didn't buy one, opting for the less expensive but equally charming Natural Cask Strength in a lovely decanter style etched bottle which I use as a decanter, in fact I don't think it has ever been empty; not for very long, at least!
I was influenced by the two elderly gentlemen in the shop, "This is the one we drink..." That always gets me in. The d'Yquem was truly magnificent but IIRC, it was over 100 pounds.
12 years ago 0
Abunadhman replied
@A'bunadhman, My wife informs me that our Pitlochry visit was, in fact, in 2007; other details remain un- changed.
12 years ago 0
mrbubb replied
I really like the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, which is finished in port barrels, or pipes, or hogsheads, or whatever they call them. Juicy. There's supposedly a Springbank Marsala expression, but I haven't seen one personally.
12 years ago 0
Peatpete replied
@mrbubb Just out of interest, Pipes and Hogsheads are different sizes of barrel. Port Pipes have a volume of 126 US gallons, whilst hogsheads have a different volume depending on what they are designed to hold. A port Hogshead has a volume of 63 US gallons.
12 years ago 0
StevieC replied
I am in full favour of aging whiskies in different barrels. Quinta Ruban is a great dram! I recently purchased a bottle of the Arran Amarone Cask Finish. I haven't had the opportunity to crack it open. Has anyone tried this one? Jim Murray rated it 96 points. Bruichladdich also has a wine barrel series, where their whiskies are aged in first growth French wine barrels.
12 years ago 0
What is everyone's take on barrel aging We've probably all tasted whiskys aged in ex bourbon or sherry casks as they are the most common but what about other types of barrels. I would say that new oak is a rather boring way to age a scotch from my experience. The first single malt scotch I ever tried was Glenlivet 15 which has new oak aging. I bought it as a birthday gift for a friend and we tried it together. Having only had Jack Daniels and a couple of blends before I expected it to be something totally different than it ended it being. I think (as I used to) that a lot of people view scotch as an uber-manly drink which is always so strong that it will evoke a greenhorn to use the phrase, 'That'll put hair on your chest!' It was super smooth though, and still one of the smoothest spirits I've ever tried. It was very different from what I expected. I hate to sound like an asshole, but now that I have a more experienced palate I have to say that I think Glenlivet 15 is the most boring scotch I've ever had. The new oak makes it smooth but adds absolutely no flavor. There are other barrels used though about which I am curious. I've seen rum used a few times. There's a Balvenie scotch aged in madiera casks. Myself I have tried scotch aged in Sauternes and red wine casks. I've had Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or which I thought was good but not as interesting as it sounded and it's too expensive for what it is. I also have an independently bottled bottle of Laphroaig that's aged 11 years in Ch Lafite casks. That cost $63 which I think was a pretty decent price. The color is much redder than the average scotch. It's good. It's less peaty than the standard 10 year which is a plus for me as I don't really care for Laphroaig 10 year even though I love Islay scotch. It has some cherry-like flavors too it but its very subtle and I don't get the impression that a red wine cask imparts as much flavor on a whisky as a sherry cask does.