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.
While often inconsistent and not always easy to manage, the fantastic flavours of wine cask whiskies have made them increasingly popular in recent years. But, for the Thomsons, wine and whisky have been romancing for decades.
As well as being whisky blenders, my grandfather’s company Peter Thomson Ltd was a wholesaler of wines from across the globe. A glimpse at an old price list from 1981 shows a range of wines, from traditional Bordeauxs to experimental imports from Yugoslavia and even Tunisia. Wine has been a big part of our whisky story, so when I get the chance to bottle a wine matured whisky I jump at it.
This Tomatin has had a full maturation in a French Red Wine cask. Eight years of ageing have produced incredible balance from a cask type that is notoriously difficult to work with.
There is a creaminess of texture and a warming spice that defy the young age of this whisky. Rounded and remarkably even, this whisky is a shining example of when wine casks pay off, and a personal tribute to my grandfather’s era in the industry.
Long fermentations and distillation in long-necked stills contribute to a fruity and estery new make that is the perfect foundation for a variety of different styles of maturation.
Wine has been a big part of our whisky story, so when I get the chance to bottle a wine matured whisky I jump at it. This Tomatin has had a full maturation in a French Red Wine cask. Eight years of ageing have produced incredible balance from a cask type that is notoriously difficult to work with.
There is a creaminess of texture and a warming spice that defy the young age of this whisky. Rounded and remarkably even, this whisky is a shining example of when wine casks pay off, and a personal tribute to my grandfather’s era in the industry.
While often inconsistent and not always easy to manage, the fantastic flavours of wine cask whiskies have made them increasingly popular in recent years. But, for the Thomsons, wine and whisky have been romancing for decades.
As well as being whisky blenders, my grandfather’s company Peter Thomson Ltd was a wholesaler of wines from across the globe. A glimpse at an old price list from 1981 shows a range of wines, from traditional Bordeauxs to experimental imports from Yugoslavia and even Tunisia. Wine has been a big part of our whisky story, so when I get the chance to bottle a wine matured whisky I jump at it.
This Tomatin has had a full maturation in a French Red Wine cask. Eight years of ageing have produced incredible balance from a cask type that is notoriously difficult to work with.
There is a creaminess of texture and a warming spice that defy the young age of this whisky. Rounded and remarkably even, this whisky is a shining example of when wine casks pay off, and a personal tribute to my grandfather’s era in the industry.
Long fermentations and distillation in long-necked stills contribute to a fruity and estery new make that is the perfect foundation for a variety of different styles of maturation.
Wine has been a big part of our whisky story, so when I get the chance to bottle a wine matured whisky I jump at it. This Tomatin has had a full maturation in a French Red Wine cask. Eight years of ageing have produced incredible balance from a cask type that is notoriously difficult to work with.
There is a creaminess of texture and a warming spice that defy the young age of this whisky. Rounded and remarkably even, this whisky is a shining example of when wine casks pay off, and a personal tribute to my grandfather’s era in the industry.