Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine
Notes on the lineup…
Ardnamurchan 'Cask Strength AD' 58.1%
Maturation - A vatting of primarily peated whisky from American oak barrels, and a smidgeon of unpeated from ex-sherry casks
Region - Highlands
Style - Coastal, old-school highlands
Ardnamurchan - this is an ultra-modern distillery which opened in 2014. It runs a sustainable and environmentally minded approach; A hydro-electric generator in the river, provides Ardnamurchan’s cooling water and generates all the power required, while a biomass boiler using wood chips from a local forest provides all the hot water.
Owned by Adelphi the independent bottler
Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.4 Single Malt 63.9%
Maturation - Mainly sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks, along with just a few ex-bourbon casks.
Region - Orkney
Style - fragrant and gently peated
Highland Park - One of the key facts regarding Highland Park is the composition of the peat from the Orkneys. Orcadian peat is composed entirely of sphagnum moss and heather, giving it a gentler, more floral attack than Islay peat (which contains more creosol and marine vegetation) and mainland peat which has more lignin from trees and therefore burns with a richer smoke.
Tamdhu Batch Strength No.7 Single Malt 57.5%
Maturation - ex-oloroso sherry casks
Region - Speyside
Style - Honeyed and fruity, yet weighty enough for ex sherry maturation
Tamdhu - Built in the 1890s in the boom that is considered the first golden age of whisky. For many years, it was a major player in blends such as The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and the Dunhill blend - but, since it was mothballed and subsequently purchased by Ian McLeod’s in 2010, it has released a core range of single malts including a 10, 12, ‘The Distinction’ and the NAS Cask Strength Batch release that we are trying today.
Glenlivet 16yo Single Cask Ladderfoot Sherry Single Malt 58.6%
Maturation - Sherry Butt for 16 years
Region - Speyside
Style - Floral, estery and tropical fruited
The Glenlivet - Operational on its current site since 1859. Original owner George Smith is credited with creating a new style of whisky - lighter and more floral with a distinct pineapple note. Today it is the world's second-best-selling single malt Scotch brand after Glenfiddich.
Finlaggan Cask Strength Single Malt 58%
Maturation - Ex-bourbon (some sherry?)
Region - Islay
Style - Pungent peat smoke, citrus and soot.
Finlaggan was a launch brand for the Vintage Malt Whisky Company Ltd, which focuses on bottling whiskies from the Highlands and Islands. The brand was designed to embody the spirit of Islay (it’s named after a loch on the north side of the island, just west of Port Askaig).
Possibly Laggavulin or Caol Ila
Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 61.1%
Maturation - This release is matured in a foundational parcel of first fill ex-American whiskey barrels and a supplementary selection of second fill European oak casks, hailing from the Rivesaltes region of France and the Ribera del Duero region of Spain.
Region - Islay
Style - 100% Islay-grown, Concerto barley - super heavily peated, 5 years of ageing - served at 129.3 parts per million peat (PPM)
1“Base” edition for the series
Usually distilled from 100 % Scottish (mainland) barley, matured (or mostly matured) in American oak / ex-bourbon casks
2 “Alternate / wine / European oak influence”
Still (often) from Scottish barley, but with maturation or finishing in European oak / wine / dessert wine casks (e.g. ex-Sauternes, Bordeaux, etc.) or a mix of American + European influence.
3 “Islay / Octomore-Farm / terroir”
These variants often use barley grown on the Octomore / Islay farm (single estate) and experiment with a blend of American + European oak casks. The idea is to explore how barley origin / terroir plays with peat and maturation.
4 “Virgin oak / more extreme wood influence”
This was introduced (first in Series 7) to include or emphasize virgin (new) oak casks in maturation. That is, casks that have never held spirit before. It often adds a more aggressive wood character (tannins, spice) to the high-peat spirit.
