unique finish?

[whiskgeek]

I was checking out a recent Glenfiddich offering, the Malt Master's Edition, and having trouble understanding it.

"While many of Glenfiddich's whiskies are ‘finished’ in different casks – which happens over a short period where the liquid picks up the subtle notes and flavors of the cask - this is the first Glenfiddich using a full spirit transfer from one cask into another."

What the the heck does that mean?

"Malt Master Brian Kinsman has a natural affinity for innovation. With this, his first Malt Master’s Edition, he marries different aged whisky in two types of oak cask, the first Glenfiddich to be double matured in two different casks. After maturing in traditional Oak casks for a number of years, our malt master transfers the whisky into Sherry Casks for its final years of maturation."

I still don't get it. What, exactly, are they doing? The last sentence sounds like it's the standard process for sherry finishing. But... "double matured in two different casks" and the term "married" is found. And, "full spirit transfer"?

Any ideas?

[opelfruit]

Not entirely sure.

I know Aberlour do a "double cask" maturing process, certainly for their 16 yr old (which I find nice but nothing more, a little on the thin side incidentally).

They claim to fully mature spirit in American Oak and Sherry Butts and then "marry" the finished article together. So fully matured (min 16yr) White oak spirit and fully matured sherried spirit are vatted and the resultant vatting further matured for a bit to ensure the flavours bind together, it's then bottled. This means the sherried bit is at least 16yrs.

The process being different from finishing where the whole lot is matured for, say 14 yrs in white oak followed by 2 years in sherry.

This gives it more complexity apparently.



Maybe this is what they mean?


It does seem confusing though as the last bit sounds like they are just finishing it, as you say.

[whiskgeek]

Funny you mention the Aberlour 16. I just had it for the first time, last week. I didn't care for it - it had an off note. The first Aberlour I disliked. But anyway...

Yes, I'm familiar with their marrying. (By the way, the white oak spirit would also have to be 16-yr min.)

So for this 'Fiddich, "he marries different aged whisky in two types of oak cask." This must meanhe takes a 12 and a 13 (for example), mixes them together, and puts some in a bourbon cask (for example) and some in a sherry cask. But wait, it then says, "After maturing in traditional Oak casks for a number of years, our malt master transfers the whisky into Sherry Casks." So this indicates the two different spirits are married and aged in traditional oak (whatever that means), then this vatting is finished in sherry oak.

I still don't know what they think they mean by "full spirit transfer."

Thanks, opelfruit.

[opelfruit]

I think I've got it.

Maybe they vat together malts of varying ages and then transfer the entire vatting to sherry casks for finishing.

So say, 12, 14, 15 and 20 yr sprirts (aged in normal ex-bourbon casks) are all vatted together and then then resultant spirit is fully transfered to sherry casks where is it allowed to marry and finish.

The resultant scotch then blended and bottled from these sherry casksm, as one normally would, to give a level of consistency.

?

[whiskgeek]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I said.