Fortified

It’s no secret that maturation is our specialty here at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Our Whisky Team has explored and experimented with almost every cask type imaginable, and as you might have noticed, has shown great appreciation for many types of sherry cask. You’ll no doubt be acquainted with the rich, decadent flavours that sherry casks continue to surprise and delight us with. It’s a formula that works, and one we’ll never tire of. But that got us thinking: if sherry casks offer so much, what else can we discover from the world of fortified wines?

To find out, our Whisky Team turned to a continent of untapped potential. Our latest Creators Collection, Fortified: Adventures in Australian wine casks is a fast track to broaden your cask horizons to the land down under and explores the effects of casks that once held fortified Chardonnay, tawny and muscat wines. At a surface level it’s handy to know that Chardonnay brings nutty depth and creamy oak, tawny adds dried fruit, toffee and toasty warmth and muscat lifts everything with vibrant, floral sweetness. But what more can we expect from these underappreciated gems?

Cask No. 5.143: An outback dalliance is a 22-year-old Lowland whisky which we transferred to a first fill Australian fortified Chardonnay cask after spending 19 years in an ex-bourbon barrel. This extremely rare form of additional maturation offers a beautiful balance between the creamy depth of Chardonnay and the enriched sweetness brought by fortification. At 52% abv, expect a deep bowl of fresh fruits on the nose, while on the palate you’ll be met with raisins bathing in melted butter with glacé cherries. The Tasting Panel found that water gave both the nose and palate bass notes of coconut, sandalwood and plum, with top notes of juicy mango, orange wine and nectarine.

Following 14 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, we transferred Cask No. 70.64: Top-notch tour into a first fill Australian tawny cask. Tawny casks are more likely to add dried fruit, toffee and a toasty warmth to a dram, and this 17-year-old Highland is the perfect example. The Panel was met by a potpourri of candied walnuts, dried figs, treacle toffees on the nose, while the palate took them on a journey. Panellists were transported to the Caribbean for some Jamaican sorrel, a drink served with dried sorrel, sugar, fresh ginger, allspice berries, whole cloves, star anise and orange peel.