Double Cask American Oak – Ex- Tawny Port & Maple barrels

Status: Released July 2024

Cigar Pairing: Maduro wrappers, heavy-bodied natural-casing cigars, or dark wrapper Cubans.

Food Pairing: Dessert cheese plate, Crème Brûlée, Crème caramel.

Matured in a combination of shaven and medium charred American Oak barrels, each barrel seasoned with fine Portuguese Single Quinta Tawny (SQT) Port and Canadian AAA grade Maple Syrup, this whisky has retained the character of its spirit through the maturation. It has a marvellous golden amber hue, with the colours of dusk and ochre red sunsets in the outback at the edges.

The Single Quinta designation is significant. Unlike blended Tawny Port drawn from multiple quintas across the Douro Valley, a Single Quinta expression originates from a single estate, one property, one terroir, one set of conditions repeated across the years of the wine’s maturation. The residual character embedded in the oak staves of an SQT cask carries that specificity into subsequent maturation. It is not a generic ‘port influence’. It is the accumulated character of a particular place, transferred slowly into the spirit.

The Maple barrel introduces a complementary register. The Canadian AAA grade designation refers to the highest classification of pure maple syrup, light amber, delicate flavour, derived from the first flows of the season. Barrels that have held this grade of syrup carry dense residual sugars deep within the stave structure. Their contribution to the maturing spirit is layered caramel, toasted grain, and a warmth that builds slowly across the palate.

Together, these two cask types produce an expression of considerable complexity, one that reveals itself differently across the nose, the palate, and the finish, and that continues to evolve in the glass over time.

Tasting Notes

Nose. The nose is at once clean, long, nutty, and balanced. Subtle chocolatey cherry ripe aromas with notes of pancake, vanilla, mocha, maple syrup, and toffee. One is almost tempted to pour it on the finest gelati. A second whiff brings out a deeper, more autumnal note one would associate with pine wood or pine needle tea. Over several minutes, the nose continues to show chameleon-like abilities, transcending from nutty to spicy to coffee to cocoa.

Palate. On the palate, all those promises come to fruition in a fine and balanced dance of cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, mace, and cloves. Subsequent sips yield lovely notes of pecorino, honey mead, and fine fatty jamón. Savoury caramel and maple, followed with a burst of fortified dark berries, complemented by notes of chocolate fudge, slight coffee, and vanilla.

Finish. The finish is astounding, long, deeply satisfying, running into several minutes and leaving behind complex flavours of creaming soda, honey mead, maple bacon, and the finest bitters, coupled to an exceptionally beautiful dry finish that is peppery without being too much. This whisky is complex, deeply satisfying and one to treasure with a fine charcuterie of the best meats.

Technical Details

Edition: 2.05

ABV: 46%

Cask type: Double cask, shaven and medium charred American Oak, ex-Single Quinta Tawny Porto and ex-Canadian AAA grade Maple Syrup

Status: Released July 2024