Single Cask Nation Retail Release # 2 to start hitting shelves mid-to-late October 2017!
Earlier this year, we here at Single Cask Nation launched our freshly-minted retail range. Release # 1 consisted of some younger whiskies: 10yo Girvan single grain, four different 8yo whiskies (Glentauchers, Glenrothes, Ben Nevis, and Ardmore), and one older whisky; a 20yo Ben Nevis sherry cask.
We decided to switch it up a little bit with Single Cask Nation Release # 2. Not only do we have whiskies ranging between 9 and 28 years old, we're adding one of the finest rums we've ever tasted to the mix: an 18yo Spanish Rum from an undisclosed distillery.
All six of these bottlings will start to hit store shelves in mid-to-late October - just in time for cooler weather!
We expect these bottlings to be distributed in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Some shops are able to ship, some are not. Best to check with your favorite whisky shop!
Details are as follows:
Miltonduff 9yo, refill Bourbon Barrel
This cask bottling, distilled in February 2008, spent nine years maturing in a refill ex-Bourbon Barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in April of 2017 at 58.5% ABV. Cask #4077 yielded 234 bottles.
Color: Light gold
Nose: Fresh gingerbread straight from the oven, nutmeg, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon bark, apple cake
Palate: Oily entry with a burst of cinnamon (also sweet curry powder, cumin, and garam masala) that gives way to fresh oak, malty sweetness, and garibaldi biscuits
Finish: Lemon fizz candies, fennel seeds, and lingering hints of clove and cinnamon
On the label: A spice bomb of a whisky with a delectable oily texture!
Inchmurrin (Loch Lomond distillery) 20yo, 2nd fill Bourbon Barrel
This cask bottling, distilled in February 1997, spent twenty years maturing in a 2nd fill ex-Bourbon Barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in April 2017 at 62.4% ABV. Cask #8675309 yielded 201 bottles.
Color: Reflective pale gold
Nose: There’s a certain softness to the nose with fresh baked bread notes, dried apple rings, green pears, hints of spiced chai, delicate oak, and the slightest suggestion of a lit cigar
Palate: Freshly lit cigar smoke up front with hospital bandages and stewed gooseberries behind then Asian pears and boozy tiramisu notes develop before charred oak leads us into the finish
Finish: Pronounced licorice gives way to freshly ground pepper, roasted peanut shells, and Turkish coffee
On the label: A massively complex and richly rewarding dram that evolves in the glass over time. A contemplative whisky, to be sure, that rewards a thorough investigation of everything it has to offer.
Cambus 28yo Single Grain, Muscatel Barrique finished
This cask bottling, distilled in September 1988, spent twenty eight years maturing in a refill ex-Bourbon Barrel and was then finished for 6 months in a 1st fill Muscatel sherry Barrique. It was bottled at cask strength in April 2017 at 42.6% ABV. Cask #121GW yielded 252 bottles.
Color: Orange oil
Nose: Waxy texture with rosé wine gums, warm vanilla, and white raisins but also hints of kumquat and red plum pits
Palate: Viscous mouthfeel that becomes waxy, weighty grains with rich moscatel influence (think strawberries, loganberries, and lichee fruit), clover honey, and rose hips
Finish: Warm and floral with more rose hips and lingering honey
On the label: A wonderfully textured whisky from nose through palate that delivers great warmth and richness. Incredibly complex but oh so easy to drink. Its sweet cereal character complements the fruity moscatel influence beautifully.
Laphroaig 10yo, 2nd fill Bourbon Barrel
Color: White goldThis cask bottling, distilled in December 2006, spent ten years maturing in a 2nd fill ex-Bourbon Barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in May 2017 at 55.9% ABV. Cask #0800123 yielded 144 bottles.
Nose: Minerals and farmyard, fried fish oil, smoked chamomile (if there were such a thing), star fruit and quince, caulking, tar and pine sap, Red Hots, and grape leaves, dirty pool water
Palate: Good amount of pepper and cinnamon up front (reminiscent of a peppery Bowmore but dingier) with very pleasing sweet cereal notes and sugar cookie butteriness. There’s an oiliness that builds mid-palate
Finish: Clean with coastal air and key lime
On the label: Clean and crisp while sweet and salty, this classic example of the distillery style balances a smoky oiliness with a spicy, peppery palate, and a coastal finish
Tormore 21yo, 2nd fill Bourbon Barrel (California Exclusive)
This cask bottling, distilled in February 1996, spent twenty one years maturing in a 2nd fill ex-Bourbon Barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in April 2017 at 49.0% ABV. Cask #14211G yielded 156 bottles.
Color: White tea with green highlights
Nose: Candy coated fennel seeds, lemon bars, blue slate, cereal notes, icing sugar, hint of new leather
Palate: Green peppercorn burst with bright citrus, more grain following in behind (barley, steel cut oats), candy dots with Mexican vanilla transitioning into the finish
Finish: Lingering ground pepper with hints of lemon peel and a subtle vanilla sweetness
On the label: Both delicate and spicy at the same time. It’s a classic Tormore in terms of its pepper profile but the lemon thread that runs through it is a new wrinkle on a traditional theme.
Spanish Rum 18yo, 1st fill Bourbon Barrel
This cask bottling, distilled in May 1999, spent eighteen years maturing in a 1st fill ex-Bourbon Barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in April 2017 at 49.0% ABV. Cask #99RB yielded 135 bottles.
Color: Deep Amber
Nose: Fresh fennel, black licorice, new bicycle tires, pineapple rum cake, dry ramen noodles, birch wood, nutmeg, fig jam, and hints of pepper around the edges
Palate: Burnt rubber tires, big, bold, black licorice, molasses, gingerbread, freshly roasted espresso beans, baker’s chocolate
Finish: Chamomile, warm honey, and milky caramel
On the label: This whisky drinker’s rum is big, bold, and rich with black licorice and pepper notes on the nose leading into gingerbread and freshly roasted espresso beans on the palate finishing with pleasing notes of chamomile and warm honey