Beer finish

@Wills Looks cool!! I wouldnt mind trying that considering I sell beer for a living right now :D Wonder how much it costs Aussie wise...

I have never tried a beer cask finish. I know there is a widely available blend - Grant's Ale Cask - which supposedly has a "creamy" edge to it due to ale cask finish, but I've seen mixed reviews for it. Of course, I'm sure there are probably a few decent malt whiskies around that are partially matured or finished in beer casks (due to local availability of casks, for example Reisetbauer in Austria and Santis of Switzerland which you mentioned).

I would be keen to try a beer finished whisky some time although it seems to me that any beer finish would have far less impact on final flavour and complexity than anything finished in say wine or sherry casks as per the norm. To me, it seems as though a whisky ought to be FULLY matured in a cask which had once held a very heavy, flavoursome beer in order to impart enough of its character as to distinguish it from malts aged in other more traditional casks. Just my opinion. Maybe there are whiskies out there that fit the bill? Who knows.. let us know @Wills if you manage to try an interesting beer finished whisky!

@Wills I've not tried one either, but New Holland Brewing and Distilling just came out with something finished in beer casks as well. They finish their bourbon for 90 days in casks previously used to age their Russian Imperial Stout (Dragon's Milk). More info here:

beerpulse.com/2012/09/…

Yes, there are all manner of beer/whisky experiments going on. My wild sister who loves to collect bizarre spirits introduced me to her bottle of the Corsair Rasputin Whiskey.

corsairartisan.com/spirits/experimental/…

Corsair calls it complex, but all I tasted was hops.