Whisky Works

[plainly jane]

I thought this product was such a clever idea and fun that I wanted to share it with you.

My usual haunt, Kensington Wine Market, brought in a product called Whisky Works. In the box are the following:
1 litre American White Oak cask, toasted to medium char
spigot
bung
cradle
750 ml of 3 year oldwhisky that is a blend of Single Malt Scotches from 8 to 10 various parts of Scotland (nonidentified), 3 - 12 year olds, with 1% Canadian Single Malt Whisky (so that it is a Canadian product)

They suggest one primes the cask for three days with water, empty it, and then add the whisky provided. There you have your own little cask (it is so very cute) and one can sample at will to taste it throughout the maturation process. It matures fairly quickly due to the small size of the cask.

Rather than sticking to the original plan, I decided to fill the cask with other types of alcoholic beverages before adding the whisky. The first cask had a cheap vintage style port (whatever that means) resting in it for 1 month. The second had a more pricey armagnac. I am not sure what to do with the third cask. I might not even use the whisky provided; I might use some other Single Malt Whisky. Of course, one can reuse the cask, too.

The first round of fun is to taste the port, armagnac, etc., to see how the cask alters its flavour. The next is to taste the whisky throughout its maturation. A few of us are trading notes and using different types of alcohol for the second priming. It has been a wonderful way to connect with like-minded people.

http://www.premiumbottlers.com

plainly jane

(sorry, not sure how to upload a photo)
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[Deactivated Member]

pj, may I suggest you seek out a bottle of apple brandy by Michel Jodoin (he calls it "Calijo", since he can't call it calvados, of course) from Quebec? Or perhaps some actual calvados. Might be a good use for the Boulard Grande Solage that is so widely available, but not very drinkable.

This does indeed look like fun, and answers the prayers of a number of posters here who have been looking for just such a thing.

(To post an image here, it has to be uploaded to another site on the web, and then linked. That keeps WhiskyMag from having to store all those images on their own servers. Hit the Quote button on a post with an image in it, and you'll see how it's done. Check out PhotoBucket and ImageShack.)

[plainly jane]

Thanks TH, that sounds like a good idea.

pj

[Deactivated Member]

Here you go, from their website--

[plainly jane]

Thanks TH. I might try to upload my photos as an exercise.

pj

[shoganai]

This is the coolest thing ever. This is so going on my Christmas list.

[killerwhale]

what a great idea,
also, I may be inclined to seek advice from some professional/s as to what to do & how to do it (it could end up an expensive mistake?).
anyway, sounds super fun and I'd love to do it myself or sample something from an attempt..... next time I'm in Calgary, I should look into this.

[plainly jane]

Sure Killerwhale,

Let me know when you are heading to Calgary. I will probably have some to sample.

I think the KWM has only a couple left but I know they are ordering more around the Christmas season. Whisky Works would be a brilliant gift for an enthusiast. Drop some hints!

pj

[scotchguy]

Make sure you follow the instructions! I left mine in the cask and little too long, didn't put it in a damp/cool location, and didn't rotate it enough; and to my dismay the angels were very greedy... That said what they left was quite special!

[Jobi]

Out of curiousity, what does the Whiskey Works cost?

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I just purchased a 1lt cask and I have 1lt of 5yo Cooley to mature

Well it used to be 1lt but a little angle had to have his share

Can't wait for it to arrive.

For any European people interested I got it of an Ebay shop...

the deal I got was 1ly of 30yo Bunnahabhain and a cask to my door for 120Euro

Just hope the Bunny is worth it but I do not have hugh expectations anyway but will let ye know what it's like.

I'm more interested in te cask anyway for a bit of mature fun

see

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kleines-Whisky-Fass-mit-Bunnahabhain-30Y-Islay-Whisky_W0QQitemZ270212064828QQihZ017QQcategoryZ83705QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

[Willie JJ]

Well it used to be 1lt but a little angle had to have his share

I thought you'd be a Celt, Adrian


Still it doesn't sound too bad getting a litre of 30yo Bunny for 120 Euros, let alone the cask.

[amtphd]

I was lucky enough to get a Whisky Works kit for Christmas this year. I'm running it just the way the rather brief instructions suggested. My wife, who gave me the kit, has been recording our efforts on her blog. Every Sunday we turn the barrel the requisite quarter turn and then have some fun with the idea. It also helps us remember to turn the cask.

If you're curious, visit Christie's Corner http://christie-corner.blogspot.com/search/label/Whisky. I've tasted only once. We started in January and I'm holding out hope I can resist consuming it until our anniversary in October.

[Deactivated Member]

You'd probably like this blog too:

http://whiskylounge.hember.name

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Still it doesn't sound too bad getting a litre of 30yo Bunny for 120 Euros, let alone the cask.

I'm not expecting a classic but as you say for the money it can't be that bad a deal.

Unless of course it is new make bunny and I have to csak it for 30yrs to get my 30yo bunny

[ww150]

Just noticed that Whisky Works can be purchased online at http://www.whiskyworks.ca!

[ClubSmed]

Has anyone else started getting spam from a whisky works email address? I wonder if there site has been hacked or if they have sold email addresses?