Whisky is emphatically a product of place. The flavours within the glass conjure photos of the spirit’s origin, from an Islay malt’s distinctive peat smoke to the unique fragrance of a Japanese mix.
Historically, nevertheless, that native accent is misplaced when spirit is crammed into cask. The overwhelming majority of Scotch malts and blends, for instance, are matured in oak sourced from hundreds of miles away, and beforehand used to age bourbon or Sherry.
Some whiskies would possibly enterprise into extra unique territory. Assume rum casks, maybe, or Madeira, Port or crimson wine. Fewer nonetheless are exploring the chances of native oak casks sourced from their very own locale. However right here the outcomes, when it comes to each provenance and flavour, are more and more spectacular.
Going native
So spectacular, certainly, that Aberdeenshire distillery Fettercairn has planted 13,000 oak saplings on close by Fasque Property. The venture is an effort to create an area and sustainable supply of Scottish oak casks for the longer term. And we do imply the longer term – it is perhaps 200 years earlier than the absolutely mature oaks are prepared for felling.
Within the meantime, we now have the newly launched Fettercairn 18 Yr Previous (see beneath). This single malt is completed in Scottish oak casks, that are sourced from three sustainably managed forests in Ross-shire, Stirlingshire and Perthshire.
Past the back-story, what’s instantly spectacular in regards to the whisky itself is the full-on flavour. This can be a richly spiced and structured whisky; the oak including a contemporary dimension to the distillery’s tropical fruit signature.
Several types of oak add their very own signature to whisky
Scottish signature
Partly that’s the results of predominantly utilizing ‘virgin’ casks – oak that hasn’t been softened by a earlier maturation (as is the case with ex-bourbon or ex-Sherry wooden). Nevertheless it’s additionally clear, even at this early stage, that Scottish oak has a flavour id all of its personal.
So assertive is that this character that Fettercairn grasp whisky maker, Gregg Glass, determined to ‘situation’ a few of the casks with a pre-maturation of latest make spirit for six months, simply to tone it down a little bit. Glass is the driving pressure behind distillery proprietor Whyte & Mackay’s Scottish oak programme.
Glass’s method gained’t come as any shock to Royal Salute grasp blender Sandy Hyslop, given his expertise in creating Royal Salute 26 Yr Previous Kingdom Version Scottish Oak Cask End. So involved was Hyslop by the velocity of maturation that he and his group had been checking the casks each two weeks. The concern was, in Hyslop’s phrases, that the mix would possibly grow to be ‘too sturdy, too highly effective, too darkish’.
He explains: ‘After 4 months, it was starting to freak me out a little bit bit. Are we going to should pattern it each week or it’s going to fall over? It was all about experimentation in the long run – and happily this one completely labored out completely. However I’ve by no means seen a take-up of flavour like that.’
Midleton makes use of Irish oak grown in Kylebeg Wooden
Sustainability focus
As the instance of the Fettercairn forest illustrates, these native oak tasks are sometimes as a lot about sustainability as flavour. It’s a recognition of the truth that Scotland – and certainly, the UK on the whole – merely doesn’t have the tradition of managed forestry that has been in place in France since Napoleonic instances.
As in Scotland, Eire’s oak inhabitants has been exploited and decimated over the previous millennium or extra. Forests have been stripped for agriculture, ships and building. The pendulum is now slowly swinging again as replanting happens in locations akin to Kylebeg Wooden in County Laois, boosted by the funding of personal sector operators akin to Irish Distillers.
Kylebeg is the backdrop for the most recent chapter within the Midleton Dair Ghaelach venture that started in 2009 (‘dair ghaelach’ means ‘Irish oak’). The Midleton Very Uncommon Kylebeg bottlings take provenance to a brand new stage. This can be a vary of seven blended whiskeys, every matured in American oak for 13 to 25 years, then ‘completed’ for 15 months in Irish oak casks. These casks are made utilizing the wooden of seven particular oak timber felled at Kylebeg.
‘Each bottling is traceable to a single tree,’ explains Midleton grasp distiller Kevin O’Gorman. And each tree performs a barely completely different tune… Tree 7 combines plummy fruit with pot-still spice. Whereas Tree 1 reveals an elevated sweetness: black banana, caramel and crème brûlée.
‘There are refined variations, tree to tree,’ says O’Gorman. ‘And it’s important to decide the best whiskey to enter these Irish oak barrels, as a result of Irish oak matures fairly quick and has a lot of tannin. They’re heavy hitters… We’re positively studying as we go.’
Mizunara oak barrels at Yamazaki
All over the world
Eire and Scotland will not be the only real pioneers right here. Japan’s distillers have lengthy been exploring the aromatic, exotically spiced nature of their very own mizunara oak (Quercus cispula). In the meantime within the Pacific Northwest of the US, the Westland distillery is enhancing its personal story of provenance, with a sequence of single malt whiskeys matured in regionally sourced Quercus garryana oak.
At their greatest, these ventures do extra than simply create thrilling new whiskies for drinkers to take pleasure in. The oak replanting programme at Kylebeg has lured pine martens again to the encompassing forest. And pine martens, it seems, like consuming gray squirrels, in flip permitting crimson squirrels to return. Bushes, it seems – reasonably like whiskies – are highly effective issues.
Whiskies aged in native oak to strive
Fettercairn 18 Yr Previous
Recognized for its tropical fruit character, Fettercairn is lured into darker, forest fruit territory by a end in virgin Scottish oak. Splendidly textured and punctuated with oak tannins and an array of spices – ginger, cinnamon, clove – plus a roasted arabica be aware. Alcohol 46.8%
Midleton Very Uncommon Dair Ghaelach Kylebeg Wooden Tree 2
The seven bottlings on this sequence – every matured in casks that had been coopered from a special tree – are all fascinating. However Tree 2 is my decide: mouthfilling and creamy, with an elevated, aromatic mixture of spice, anis and white pepper. Arduous to search out, however price looking for out. Alc 56.1%
Royal Salute 26 Yr Previous Kingdom Version Scottish Oak Cask End
A muscly, structured Salute mix that marries fleshy berry fruits with darker scents of treacle and molasses. With a whisper of smoke from Caperdonich peated malt – and from the Scottish oak – that is densely packed, however lifted by Longmorn’s juicy fruit. Alc 40%
The GlenAllachie 15 Yr Previous Scottish Virgin Oak
One other Scottish oak ‘end’, this can be a ripe and satisfying dram, with stewed plums and candied orange peel alongside darkish honey and black banana. There’s additionally zesty citrus fruit and butterscotch mingling with treacle toffee and white chocolate notes. Alc 48%
Westland Single Malt Garryana fifth Version
This single malt from Washington State has the very best proportion but of whiskey matured in regionally sourced Quercus garryana (aka Garry oak) casks. Sawmill aromas vie with zesty lemon, caraway, cinnamon and feral smoke from some peated spirit. Alc 50%
Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve
A vatting of Bordeaux wine, Sherry and mizunara casks makes for an über-fruity whisky, stuffed with ripe strawberry and white chocolate. Mizunara oak brings a stunning perfume – dried flowers and sandalwood – and it’s much more inexpensive than a completely mizunara-matured Yamazaki 18. Alc 43%
