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.
It is now 3 years since I was able to relaunch the family business and begin a new chapter of the Thomson whisky story.
I’ll always remember the launch event where we tasted all 8 of our inaugural releases but one of the most memorable drams was actually provided by my grandfather. As a personal toast, Grandad Michael cracked open one of his original bottles of Beneagles blended whisky. With twinkling eyes, he let us into some of the key components of the closely-guarded recipe – along with North British grain and Macallan malt, a crucial ingredient was a lesser-known Speyside distillery… Longmorn.
According to my grandfather, Longmorn’s reliable fruitiness was central to the success of Beneagles and, for that reason, our collection treasures a number of Longmorn casks.
This particular cask is a perfect example of what makes Longmorn so special. Thirty-four years of ageing in a combination of PX sherry and an ex bourbon cask have created a perfect harmony of flavours.
That trademark Longmorn fruitiness that my grandfather coveted so much is elevated by the sweetness of the PX sherry cask and it is a wonderful reminder of what made Beneagles such a popular whisky of its time.
It is now 3 years since I was able to relaunch the family business and begin a new chapter of the Thomson whisky story.
I’ll always remember the launch event where we tasted all 8 of our inaugural releases but one of the most memorable drams was actually provided by my grandfather. As a personal toast, Grandad Michael cracked open one of his original bottles of Beneagles blended whisky. With twinkling eyes, he let us into some of the key components of the closely-guarded recipe – along with North British grain and Macallan malt, a crucial ingredient was a lesser-known Speyside distillery… Longmorn.
According to my grandfather, Longmorn’s reliable fruitiness was central to the success of Beneagles and, for that reason, our collection treasures a number of Longmorn casks.
This particular cask is a perfect example of what makes Longmorn so special. Thirty-four years of ageing in a combination of PX sherry and an ex bourbon cask have created a perfect harmony of flavours.
That trademark Longmorn fruitiness that my grandfather coveted so much is elevated by the sweetness of the PX sherry cask and it is a wonderful reminder of what made Beneagles such a popular whisky of its time.