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.
Sampling this whisky with colleagues after the Ghent Whisky Festival in October 2022, we were all taken aback by a dramatically profound tobacco note which beautifully compliments the inherent nuttiness of the distillery character. Immediately, I wrote down that this cask should be bottled as soon as possible to make sure this unique flavour was captured and preserved.
My elation upon discovering a whisky with so much character was short-lived. I came crashing back down to Earth when we regauged the cask to see how many bottles we should expect from this hogshead. We discovered that the cask had leaked, meaning it would yield less than half the number of bottles we were expecting.
It could well be, however, that the leak was the cause or catalyst of this unusual tobacco flavour. So, while it is a shame that only 99 bottles of this whisky will ever exist, this unfortunate act of nature might just have contributed to creating one of the most distinctive whiskies I have come across.
Dailuaine is often used as one of the key components of many a Diageo blend. It actually has a flexibility within the distillery to produce more than one style of spirit dependent on what the blenders needs are. This particular cask was filled with ‘nutty’ Dailuaine and it is apparent from the taste. A heavy, earthy character gives a real depth to this whisky.
It’s not often I am completely bewildered by the flavour profile of a whisky but this Dailauine’s damp tobacco note has really made me think. With much of the liquid in this cask having escaped to the angels, the remaining earthy, nutty Dailuaine style has interacted with the wood and taken on this profound tobacco note.
This is a tale of two styles. On the nose you get classic sweet, fruity Speyside notes. But just 5 seconds after taking a sip the palate is taken to a damp tobacco field. Bizarre, unique, but undoubtedly brilliant.
Sampling this whisky with colleagues after the Ghent Whisky Festival in October 2022, we were all taken aback by a dramatically profound tobacco note which beautifully compliments the inherent nuttiness of the distillery character. Immediately, I wrote down that this cask should be bottled as soon as possible to make sure this unique flavour was captured and preserved.
My elation upon discovering a whisky with so much character was short-lived. I came crashing back down to Earth when we regauged the cask to see how many bottles we should expect from this hogshead. We discovered that the cask had leaked, meaning it would yield less than half the number of bottles we were expecting.
It could well be, however, that the leak was the cause or catalyst of this unusual tobacco flavour. So, while it is a shame that only 99 bottles of this whisky will ever exist, this unfortunate act of nature might just have contributed to creating one of the most distinctive whiskies I have come across.
Dailuaine is often used as one of the key components of many a Diageo blend. It actually has a flexibility within the distillery to produce more than one style of spirit dependent on what the blenders needs are. This particular cask was filled with ‘nutty’ Dailuaine and it is apparent from the taste. A heavy, earthy character gives a real depth to this whisky.
It’s not often I am completely bewildered by the flavour profile of a whisky but this Dailauine’s damp tobacco note has really made me think. With much of the liquid in this cask having escaped to the angels, the remaining earthy, nutty Dailuaine style has interacted with the wood and taken on this profound tobacco note.
This is a tale of two styles. On the nose you get classic sweet, fruity Speyside notes. But just 5 seconds after taking a sip the palate is taken to a damp tobacco field. Bizarre, unique, but undoubtedly brilliant.