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.
The Scotch whisky industry has forever been masters of making the most of the tools at their disposal. Perhaps the best example of this is the use (and re-use) of casks used for maturing wines and spirits around the world. Whether it is utilising first fill bourbon barrels made available by the US ‘one fill rule’ or historically filling whisky into the transit casks of European wines, the Scots’ inherent thriftiness has resulted in creating liquid gold.
Fettercairn has one of the most unique distillation styles in Scotland. They cool the head of the still during distillation to increase the reflux of the heavier components of the spirit. The result is a tropical, fruity style of whisky that would almost be more suited to the Caribbean than the foothills of the Grampian mountains.
This cask showcases all that tropical fruit. The Tokaji influence lifts those fruity notes while still allowing the natural style of the beautiful Fettercairn spirit to shine through and is proof that there was life in the old cask still.
This Fettercairn 18 year old is a prime example of this mindset. Finished in a refill Tokaji cask that was previously used for finishing one of my Glen Garioch releases, there is just a subtle hint of the fruitiness of the Tokaji wine that was previously held within a toned down version from the cask’s initial use.
The Scotch whisky industry has forever been masters of making the most of the tools at their disposal. Perhaps the best example of this is the use (and re-use) of casks used for maturing wines and spirits around the world. Whether it is utilising first fill bourbon barrels made available by the US ‘one fill rule’ or historically filling whisky into the transit casks of European wines, the Scots’ inherent thriftiness has resulted in creating liquid gold.
Fettercairn has one of the most unique distillation styles in Scotland. They cool the head of the still during distillation to increase the reflux of the heavier components of the spirit. The result is a tropical, fruity style of whisky that would almost be more suited to the Caribbean than the foothills of the Grampian mountains.
This cask showcases all that tropical fruit. The Tokaji influence lifts those fruity notes while still allowing the natural style of the beautiful Fettercairn spirit to shine through and is proof that there was life in the old cask still.
This Fettercairn 18 year old is a prime example of this mindset. Finished in a refill Tokaji cask that was previously used for finishing one of my Glen Garioch releases, there is just a subtle hint of the fruitiness of the Tokaji wine that was previously held within a toned down version from the cask’s initial use.