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.
I always love bottling casks of Blair Athol. The distillery's nutty character forever shines through no matter what cask type is used for maturation.
This particular cask has been finished in a Rivesaltes wine cask. Nestled in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, close by Perpignan, the area produces wines renowned for their sweet, rich flavours, often enjoyed as dessert wines and digestifs. I first visited this region of France as a 17 year old while trekking and climbing in the Pyrenean Mountains, just west of where this outstanding wine is produced.
Blair Athol has been the backbone of many a Diageo blend for years and is indeed the core component of another brand with its roots firmly based in the city of Perth, Bells. It is highly regarded for its nutty character which comes as a result of a shorter than usual fermentation. With such a robust new make spirit it is a distillery that often works best in first fill casks and it can maintain its character even in the most active of casks.
Bottling and sampling this whisky brings back fond memories of that expedition long ago.
The decision to bottle this cask was made in one of my favourite whisky bars in the world - The Black Cat on Rose Street, Edinburgh. The bar team kindly let me pour my own samples while catching up with my Czech importer. We both agreed that this was the stand out sample from the batch of 12 that we tried.
The nutty style of Blair Athol combines with the sweet ripe fruit influences from the cask providing a perfect crossover between the rugged highlands of Scotland and the sun kissed hills of South West France.
I always love bottling casks of Blair Athol. The distillery's nutty character forever shines through no matter what cask type is used for maturation.
This particular cask has been finished in a Rivesaltes wine cask. Nestled in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, close by Perpignan, the area produces wines renowned for their sweet, rich flavours, often enjoyed as dessert wines and digestifs. I first visited this region of France as a 17 year old while trekking and climbing in the Pyrenean Mountains, just west of where this outstanding wine is produced.
Blair Athol has been the backbone of many a Diageo blend for years and is indeed the core component of another brand with its roots firmly based in the city of Perth, Bells. It is highly regarded for its nutty character which comes as a result of a shorter than usual fermentation. With such a robust new make spirit it is a distillery that often works best in first fill casks and it can maintain its character even in the most active of casks.
Bottling and sampling this whisky brings back fond memories of that expedition long ago.
The decision to bottle this cask was made in one of my favourite whisky bars in the world - The Black Cat on Rose Street, Edinburgh. The bar team kindly let me pour my own samples while catching up with my Czech importer. We both agreed that this was the stand out sample from the batch of 12 that we tried.
The nutty style of Blair Athol combines with the sweet ripe fruit influences from the cask providing a perfect crossover between the rugged highlands of Scotland and the sun kissed hills of South West France.