We can all see the connection between Scotch Whisky and Oak Barrels; the alchemy starts with the clear spirit and finishes with the mature golden whisky… …nothing between the two apart from the interaction with the oak and the oxidative maturation of the spirit.
But this is not the full story… …the barrels we use have often contained wines or spirits before and what the barrel has absorbed in its first use it can release in its second. Most famously done with bourbon, sherry, madeira and port wines to impart colour and deeper smoother flavours, this finishing process can also enhance the spirit with lighter crisper aromatics and add nuances to the oak spice.
Here we have taken some distillate from early in our 2018 programme, our second year of distilling, that we first aged in refill bourbon barrels for six years and then filled into a local-coopered Norman Oak puncheon that was previously used by a farm distiller for Calvados. The spirit was fermented using MG+ yeast that gave us a green/grassy light and fruity spirit that maintains a malty mouthfeel and develops good ester-like flavours on maturation. This lighter spirit combined with the less dominant aspect of refill casks has allowed the whisky to marry particularly well with the extractives gained during the finishing process.
As the finishing cask was toasted rather than charred the oak releases slowly and the cask stays active for a longer period. Here on the initial palate the oak spice and crisp green apple flavours from the calvados have layered with the peat smoke to give a sprightly introduction that remains true to the Torabhaig core flavour. This is followed on by a mellower mouthfeel with orchard notes of fruit blossom, spiced apple and pear. The youthful acidity and cask strength lend an extra edge of spice and a little fiery kick to the smoky finish.
Neil MacLeod Mathieson, Whiskymaker
