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 releasing a whisky from a distillery I have never bottled before. Strathmill stands out as a distillery that has a uniquely oily profile. Identifying that mouthfeel and texture in casks always excites me and it’s one of the great perks of bottling a higher abv whisky where you maintain the mouthfeel that dilution may remove.
Strathmill could be considered as a distillery flying under the radar but based on this result I’m certain I’ll be bottling more casks from there soon. It produces a smooth, malty, and delicate, with light fruity notes and a distinct oily, grassy, and peppery taste. This unique character is largely due to a special purifier pipe on the stills that adds a lightly oily quality similar to olive oil.
This Strathmill has purposefully been paired with a Colombian Oak cask for finishing. The maturation of Scotch whisky has for decades been dominated by American and European Oak but more recently other species have been experimented with in a quest for innovation.
Colombian Oak offers a balance between the richness and spices of European Oak combined with the vanilla and delicacy of American Oak. To me, this is the perfect balance for a distillery like Strathmill. The oily distillery character allows it to prosper with richer flavours from the wood
The final result, after 15 years of ageing, is a whisky with an intensity of flavour - tropical fruits, marzipan and butterscotch.
I always love releasing a whisky from a distillery I have never bottled before. Strathmill stands out as a distillery that has a uniquely oily profile. Identifying that mouthfeel and texture in casks always excites me and it’s one of the great perks of bottling a higher abv whisky where you maintain the mouthfeel that dilution may remove.
Strathmill could be considered as a distillery flying under the radar but based on this result I’m certain I’ll be bottling more casks from there soon. It produces a smooth, malty, and delicate, with light fruity notes and a distinct oily, grassy, and peppery taste. This unique character is largely due to a special purifier pipe on the stills that adds a lightly oily quality similar to olive oil.
This Strathmill has purposefully been paired with a Colombian Oak cask for finishing. The maturation of Scotch whisky has for decades been dominated by American and European Oak but more recently other species have been experimented with in a quest for innovation.
Colombian Oak offers a balance between the richness and spices of European Oak combined with the vanilla and delicacy of American Oak. To me, this is the perfect balance for a distillery like Strathmill. The oily distillery character allows it to prosper with richer flavours from the wood
The final result, after 15 years of ageing, is a whisky with an intensity of flavour - tropical fruits, marzipan and butterscotch.