Single Cask Nation Retail Release #3 now in the US!
We here at Single Cask Nation are pleased to announce the impending launch of our third retail release. Thanks to your support we enjoyed great success with both of last year's retail releases. So much so that we've added to our distributor list in 2018. You'll now be able to find our retail releases in DC, Delaware, Maryland, and Florida as well as in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
We think our third retail release has a little something for everyone with a very old grain whisky, a couple of twenty-something year old Speysiders, and a couple of younger smoky single malts.
Details are as follows:
Invergordon 43yo Single Grain, refill Bourbon Barrel
This cask bottling, distilled in June 1974, spent forty-three years maturing in a refill bourbon barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in November 2017 at 43.9% ABV. Cask #20 yielded 196 bottles.
Color: Engine oil
Nose: Heavy roasted corn oily sweetness, roast fennel, ribbon candy, vanilla bean ice-cream, Mexican vanilla extract
Palate: Massive oily mouthfeel, rich sweetness, vanilla cream soda, very soft oak presence, creme brulee, Mexican flan doused in caramel
Finish: White pepper, mildy herbaceous, lingering vanilla sweetness
On the label: Heavily roasted corn-like sweetness and almost candied-like. The advanced number of years in a cask helped to bring out the richness of the oak while accentuating the qualities of the grain.
Recommended Retail Price: $305/bottle
Croftengea 10yo, 2nd fill Bourbon Hogshead
This cask bottling, distilled in June 2007 at the Loch Lomond distillery, spent ten years maturing in a 2nd fill bourbon hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in December 2017 at 57.6% ABV. Cask #196 yielded 297 bottles.
Color: White Gold
Nose: Oily and pungent with huge maltiness, beeswax, banana chips, hint of cinnamon, seaweed
Palate: Deliciously viscous on entry with a certain sootiness, spicy, banana chips, roasted walnuts, hot toddies (lemon, honey, whisky), salty
Finish: Oiliness remains, surprising white chocolate sweetness
On the label: Rich, oily, and pungent, just as you’d expect from this distillate. The added notes of beeswax and the heavy nutty and malty character helps to make this a very intriguing whisky.
Recommended Retail Price: $100/bottle
Glenrothes 20yo, refill Bourbon Hogshead
This cask bottling, distilled in December 1997, spent twenty years maturing in a refill bourbon hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in December 2017 at 53.1% ABV. Cask #259 yielded 196 bottles.
Color: White Gold
Nose: Warm oak spice, cereal grain freshness, yellow Wine Gums, tangerine juice, grapefruit pith
Palate: Hugely oily mouthfeel with light honey, building pepperiness, hints of unripened cantaloupe, gooseberries, ground cherries, dried mulberry, chamomile
Finish: Medium to long with pepper and fruit then returning warm oak spice
On the label: Gently oily with inviting fresh fruit and cereal elements, then a building pepperiness to the back of the palate that’s complemented by delicate chocolate and coffee notes.
Recommended Retail Price: $210/bottle
Undisclosed Speyside 28yo, refill Oloroso Sherry Butt
This cask bottling (from an undisclosed Diageo owned distillery located southwest of Aberlour), distilled in September 1989, spent twenty-eight years maturing in a refill oloroso sherry butt. It was bottled at cask strength in December 2017 at 54.3% ABV. Cask #130 yielded 488 bottles.
Color: Golden Amber
Nose: Spiced chai tea, dried apricot, flat cola, pot pourri, Honeybell oranges, clove, rosewater, honey, cornflakes and a rich maltiness (akin to sticking one’s nose in a mash tun during the second water)
Palate: Massive oak spice on opening, hint of chicory, fruity hookah smoke, more dried apricots, dried orange peels, fresh and zesty orange pithiness with building pepperiness as it transitions to the finish
Finish: Long finish with more oak spice, pepper, lingering light smoke, and incense cones
On the label: An unexpectedly ethereal whisky that delivers notes of incense, baklava, ground coffee beans, and dried orange peels yet belies a fresh and zesty heart that finishes on a light smokiness
Recommended Retail Price: $200/bottle
Undisclosed Islay 9yo, refill Bourbon Hogshead
This cask bottling (from an undisclosed Diageo owned distillery located on Islay), distilled in March 2008, spent nine years maturing in a refill bourbon hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in January 2018 at 58.4% ABV. Cask #200805 yielded 276 bottles.
Color: White Gold
Nose: A clean and bright coastal freshness at first with burnt sticks and orange zest behind leading into pineapple lollipops and fresh linens. After the first sip the nose develops farmyard qualities.
Palate: Soft and fruity to begin but quickly showing notes of charred wood, freshly ground black pepper, and a sweet herbaceousness. Lemon verbena, salt coated sea stones, and old book pages develop on subsequent sips.
Finish: Long and lingering with a soft oily coating and notes of sweet peat, coastal salt, and white pepper
On the label: Look no further for an elegant and sophisticated representation of Islay peat: zesty and herbaceous; peppery and charred; coastal and oily. Each sip builds upon the last and lingers long after the liquid is gone.
Recommended Retail Price: $135/bottle