Barrels of innovation
Ian Wisniewski looks at how companies are pushing the boundaries with casks
Innovative cask selection provides two valuable opportunities, enhancing the flavour profile of the resulting malt whisky, while also giving the distiller (and marketing department) a story to promote. And with malt whisky fans now accustomed to continual innovation, their inevitable refrain is whatâs next ?
âThe motivation for me is we should always aspire to make ever greater whisky, as our understanding of how to make great whisky improves and techniques improve.
Itâs not so much innovation but challenging the way we do things, to see if thereâs a better way, within certain parameters,â says John Glaser, who has won Whisky Magazineâs Innovator of the Year award four times.
Whyte & Mackayâs Richard Paterson adds, âAblender has to be innovative and make his products exciting and vibrant, so heâs going to experiment with a lot of casks and different styles of malt. But you must never let casks dominate your whiskies, the character of the whisky must come through.â This raises the question of how a particular type of cask, and the influence it has to offer, will interact with different styles of malt.
âWhenever Iâm choosing casks I always ask, will this be compatible with the age profiles of any of my whiskies, and you know instinctively whether it will work. Not all malts will have a love affair with all casks, and you need to have a whisky thatâs compatible with the cask,â says Richard Paterson.
Glenmorangieâs Dr Bill Lumsden continues, â.....
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By Ian Wisniewski
Section : Whisky Production
Page number : 62
