Cask Matters

The full line-up

For May's tasting, Anna took us through a range of whiskies with some interesting cask maturations and finishes. As she explained, about 60-80% of the taste of a whisky comes from the cask, and so factors including the type of wood used, the size of the barrel and the liquid the cask previously held are all critical components which impact the character of what ends up in your glass. 

Pintail Glen Elgin

She had selected half a dozen varied examples, and we kicked off with an independently bottled 14-year-old Glen Elgin, produced by Edinburgh-based Pintail. They specialise in unusual finishes, and this particular bottle was finished in a cask that previously held Floc de Gascogne, a fortified sweet wine consisting of Armagnac and grape juice.

This was very strong tasting and really packed a punch. Chewy with strong cereal notes, and some blackcurrant too. Water brought yet more on the nose, and generally upped the floral taste as well. This was 54.1% and cost £75.

Deanston tequila

Deanston is a popular distillery with club members, known for its organic approach to distilling and distinctive use of a former mill building as its base. Its latest expression is an unconventional one, a 15-year-old finished in casks that previously held Agave tequila from the Mexican highlands.

This one again was very striking on the nose. It smelt quite strongly like marmite in fact. While a good drop, the consensus in the room was that it was the tequila aspect we didn't actually like as much. We would possibly have been happier having a plain old Deanston 13-year-old, without the last couple of years in the tequila. It's 52.5% and you can get a bottle for £95.

Fishermen's Retreat 9

Onto dram three and something very close to home: a bottling from the Fisherman's Retreat restaurant in Ramsbottom. It's Batch 9 of their own stuff, a heavily peated Bruichladdich.

Again unusual, we got smoked onions and oily grass along with, appropriately enough, a real fishy mustiness. Someone even suggested sardines. This was 50% and cost £75 for a 50cl bottle, but if you can spare the cash it's well worth supporting a local indie bottler.

BenRomach Polish oak

After a half-time break to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Britons' Protection, Anna gave us something with connections to her Polish homeland. BenRomach have brought out a limited edition 10-year-old single cask expression, with full maturation in first fill Polish oak (in fact there are two sets of these, in sister casks).

This was stunning! Sweet and citrussy, especially orangey. We also had notes of toffee and apple, with a touch of smoke in there as well. It's 59.1% and costs £95.

Linkwood 12yo

We stayed in Speyside next and moved on to Linkwood and another independent bottler that was new to most of us, Fragrant Drops. I say new to us, but the team behind the brand - George and Rachel - were welcome attendees at some of our virtual tastings over lockdown, so it's wonderful to see them branching out with this new whisky business. This particular expression was a 12-year-old, fully matured in a fresh Tokaji barrel, Tokaji being a Hungarian white wine.

Fruity was the key tasting note here. Although beyond that it was a bit mystifying, in the sense that we couldn't tell whether it was sweet or savoury or herbal, with a bit of pastry in there as well. This went down very well all round. It's 58% and cost us £110.

Teaninch 12yo

And this brought us to the last of the six drinks, a 12-year-old Teaninch finished in the Scandinavian spirit Aquavit. Teaninch is a Diageo distillery but has a relatively low profile in its own right, rarely seen outside the Flora and Fauna range. This expression was from the independent bottler Lady of the Glen.

Herby and spicy, we felt this was one was both complex and subtle. A great way to finish a superb line-up, it was 57.3% and decent value at £75.

For the dram of the night voting, the Teaninch did well enough for the third step on the podium, behind the Fragrant Drops Linkwood in second and the winner - the BenRomach Polish oak.

Many thanks to Anna for choosing and taking us through such a great selection of drams, to all at the Britons for hosting us once again, and to club members and guests for attending in such good numbers.