As a cask comes to maturity, Finn curates sampling sessions in interesting and relaxing environments, with friends, whisky experts and trusted partners to discover the personality of each cask and gauge the experience each dram evokes.
All the best distillers pride themselves on crafting whisky with a distinctive flavour, which is determined by the water source, grain and barley, the peat and malting, and their distilling processes. High quality original spirit is integral to every cask we bottle.
The cask itself interacts with the whisky over time. The type of wood plays a big role, as do treatments such as the whiskies are aged in a variety of types of casks. The whiskies are aged in former sherry or bourbon casks, augmenting the cask influence. External conditions such as air temperature, pressure and humidity also interact with the cask producing a knock-on effect that makes the spirit inside unique.
Finn uses these factors to balance each FT whisky experience. He may sample a cask and decide to leave it on the rack, allowing age to further develop its personality. He might decide to re-rack a whisky in a new cask to add a finishing touch. Or, he might simply deem it ready. When Finn decides the flavour is perfectly balanced, it’s time to bottle the whisky.
This cask is typical of the distillery but when I sampled it for the first time in 2020 I noticed it also had a level of sweetness that I wouldn’t have expected. So, in April 2021 I made the call to embrace that rich character and re-rack this whisky into an American Oak Pedro Jimenez cask.
Benrinnes is a distillery that can hold its own even in the most active of casks. The distillery prides itself on creating a rich and savoury flavour profile that was historically created through partial triple distillation.
That production method was tweaked in 2007 but the meaty house style remains.
The hope was that the PX would help that inherent sweetness along whilst not overpowering that recognisable Benrinnes character. Two years on and I believe the cask has hit the sweet spot of the perfect balance between distillery character and cask influence.
There is still a rich meatiness to the whisky but with an added sweetness from the sherry. Bottled at cask strength all that intensity of flavour is embraced - this is a whisky for those that want big flavours and no nonsense.
This cask is typical of the distillery but when I sampled it for the first time in 2020 I noticed it also had a level of sweetness that I wouldn’t have expected. So, in April 2021 I made the call to embrace that rich character and re-rack this whisky into an American Oak Pedro Jimenez cask.
Benrinnes is a distillery that can hold its own even in the most active of casks. The distillery prides itself on creating a rich and savoury flavour profile that was historically created through partial triple distillation.
That production method was tweaked in 2007 but the meaty house style remains.
The hope was that the PX would help that inherent sweetness along whilst not overpowering that recognisable Benrinnes character. Two years on and I believe the cask has hit the sweet spot of the perfect balance between distillery character and cask influence.
There is still a rich meatiness to the whisky but with an added sweetness from the sherry. Bottled at cask strength all that intensity of flavour is embraced - this is a whisky for those that want big flavours and no nonsense.