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.
Ahead of launching Finn Thomson Whisky I spent hours scrolling through the old family archives that documented the history of the family business. My favourite find was the original cask purchase book of Alexander Thomson who noted down every cask he bought and sold between 1897 and 1904. There were some incredible finds within. Purchases of Grandtully single malt from his cousins further up the Tay and sales of Lagavulin and Clynelish to John Walker and Sons. The whole book offers a fascinating insight into the distilleries that were in highest demand for the blends of the time.
Dailuaine, as it still is today, was clearly a blender’s favourite as it appears regularly within the book. As I began purchasing casks for the FT project I wanted to replicate an order from my 3x Great Grandfather. In 1903 he purchased 5 hogsheads of 6 year old Dailuaine. In 2020, 117 years later, I did the same. Upon purchasing I decided to re-rack this particular cask into a Oloroso European Oak cask to bring out the nutty rich character of the Dailuaine spirit.
100 years ago my family used this whisky in their blend. I am now honoured to resurrect a family tradition by bottling as a single cask.
Dailuaine is quickly becoming one of my favourite distilleries. Heavy, oily and with a real depth of flavour, this is a distillery that can hold it’s own in even the most active of casks.
This Dailuaine release has been finished in a European Oak, ex-Oloroso cask for 3 years. The sherry influence is obvious in both the colour and the taste.
For me, Dailuaine is a match made in heaven for sherry casks, particularly Oloroso. The European Oak and sherry influences bring out the nutty character of Dailuaine without overwhelming it.
Ahead of launching Finn Thomson Whisky I spent hours scrolling through the old family archives that documented the history of the family business. My favourite find was the original cask purchase book of Alexander Thomson who noted down every cask he bought and sold between 1897 and 1904. There were some incredible finds within. Purchases of Grandtully single malt from his cousins further up the Tay and sales of Lagavulin and Clynelish to John Walker and Sons. The whole book offers a fascinating insight into the distilleries that were in highest demand for the blends of the time.
Dailuaine, as it still is today, was clearly a blender’s favourite as it appears regularly within the book. As I began purchasing casks for the FT project I wanted to replicate an order from my 3x Great Grandfather. In 1903 he purchased 5 hogsheads of 6 year old Dailuaine. In 2020, 117 years later, I did the same. Upon purchasing I decided to re-rack this particular cask into a Oloroso European Oak cask to bring out the nutty rich character of the Dailuaine spirit.
100 years ago my family used this whisky in their blend. I am now honoured to resurrect a family tradition by bottling as a single cask.
Dailuaine is quickly becoming one of my favourite distilleries. Heavy, oily and with a real depth of flavour, this is a distillery that can hold it’s own in even the most active of casks.
This Dailuaine release has been finished in a European Oak, ex-Oloroso cask for 3 years. The sherry influence is obvious in both the colour and the taste.
For me, Dailuaine is a match made in heaven for sherry casks, particularly Oloroso. The European Oak and sherry influences bring out the nutty character of Dailuaine without overwhelming it.