American Whiskey Magazine: What’s In A Name?

“There was no stopping their vision and the launch of the brand’s new American single malt whisky, Courage & Conviction.”

Our team recently sat down with American Whiskey Magazine to discuss what it’s been like to release a brand new American Single Malt whisky during a global pandemic.

READ MORE

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 374: Aberlour a’bunadh Batch 66

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries another Aberlour a’bunadh. Mark has tried quite a few a’bunadh in his day, batch 60 only last November, but recently got a bottle of batch 66. The buyer was not very fond of it and asked Mark to take it off his hands. He did so gladly, so here we are with this sherry monster that will brighten up his day.

https://youtu.be/1qjqP9_jqzQ

BENRIACH CASK EDITION COLLECTION CAPTURES FULL FLAVOUR PALETTE

Benriach Distillery has today (Wednesday 3rd March) unveiled its latest single cask bottlings – Benriach Cask Edition Collection 2021. Each of its 19 premium expressions have been crafted to celebrate the individuality of the distillery’s cask types, and the resulting Single Malt that each helps to mature.

Each expression in the new collection has been individually nurtured and selected at its optimum maturation point by Benriach’s Master Blender, Rachel Barrie. Featuring both peated and unpeated styles of whisky, each expression celebrates the unique flavour impacted by its cask, and allows a different facet of Benriach’s multi-layered, fruit forward style to be explored.

From madeira to moscatel hogsheads and rum barrels to port pipes, 11 different cask types from around the world have been used to paint a rainbow of flavour across the collection. From the smoked nutmeg of the madeira cask to the smouldering pine nut and rich campfire smoke found in the Oloroso sherry butt, these flavourful individual casks range from 1994 to 2009.

Cask Edition Collection 2021 continues Benriach’s creative legacy of bottling individual casks in what is a new era for the distillery since it relaunched its portfolio last year.

Rachel Barrie, Master Blender at Benriach Distillery commented: 

“When it comes to experimenting with flavour through our rich inventory of cask types at Benriach, it is important to appreciate the individuality of the cask and its back story to tease out its full potential. Benriach Cask Edition Collection 2021 offers an insight into this journey, capturing unique moments in time at our Speyside distillery.

“Exploring cask maturation at this specific level continues to excite me about the flavour possibilities of Benriach. From the honey, apricot and stewed plum of the sauternes barrique to the smooth barley cream of the rum barrel, it’s a true joy to savour the palette of flavour in these cask edition releases.”

Benriach Cask Edition Collection 2021 is available to purchase from specialist retailers in select markets globally from 3 March 2021. More information found below.

Notes

Expressions 21 years and over will be available in a secondary box. Younger expressions in the collection will be available in a secondary tube. 

Details and market availability for each expression:

1994 CASK #1851

Aged 26 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Peated

Appearance: Golden Brown

Nose: Chocolate orange and smoked dark honey, on a base of sandalwood, date oil and prune.

Palate: Chocolate espresso and black cherry with lingering campfire smoke and plum.

ABV: 51.5%

Availability: China

1994 CASK #1272

Aged 26 years

Cask Type: Oloroso Butt

Style: Peated

Appearance: Auburn

Nose: Sticky plum preserve and baked crème brûlée with smouldering pine nut and rich campfire smoke.

Palate: Blood orange, cherry cake and candied clove with lingering smoked caramel and pine nut.

ABV: 53.2%

Availability: China

1997 CASK #16004

Aged 23 years

Cask Type: Bourbon Barrel

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Mellow gold

Nose: Candied lemon, bergamot and dark vanilla with traces of honeysuckle, apple and lime.

Palate: Lemon sweets and toffee with spiced vanilla, banana and lingering dark chocolate mint cake.

ABV: 51.1%

Availability: Israel

1998 CASK #2803

Aged 22 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Deep amber

Nose: Sticky toffee apple and caramel sponge pudding layered with cherry cake and sugar glaze.

Palate: Cherry and sultana bread with vanilla, candied peel and golden syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.

ABV: 52.7%

Availability: South East Asia

2005 CASK #2569

Aged 15 years

Cask Type: Oloroso Butt

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Arabian sunset

Nose: Richly sherried with fruitcake, honey, orange and crème brûlée.

Palate: Chocolate meringue, toasted hazelnut and lingering sun-dried raisin.

ABV: 59.8%

Availability: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark & Ukraine

2006 CASK #5303

Aged 13 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Mahogany

Nose: Nectarine, cherry cake and caramel mocha with hints of baked apple and spice.

Palate: Chocolate macchiato and baked orange with lingering sweet almond.

ABV: 61.2%

Availability: Australia

2007 CASK #8736

Aged 13 years

Cask Type: Moscatel Hogshead

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Egyptian gold

Nose: Apricot and lemon syrup, with macadamia nut brittle and manuka honey.

Palate: Vanilla cream and sticky apricot preserve with lingering honeyed orchard fruits and praline.

ABV: 58.1%

Availability: New Zealand

2008 CASK #5813

Aged 12 years

Cask Type: Sauternes Barrique

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Red gold

Nose: Honey, apricot and stewed plum, with fleshy orange, mixed nut and tropical fruit.

Palate: Sweet mandarin orange, lemon curd and ground nutmeg with lingering ginger and toasted malt.

ABV: 61.3%

Availability: Canada

2008 CASK #2014

Aged 12 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Peated

Appearance: Golden walnut

Nose: Chocolate coated red apple, plum and redcurrant on a base of pistachio, sandalwood and espresso.

Palate: Smooth fig and apple with cinnamon spice, pistachio cream and chocolate coated dates.

ABV: 60.5%

Availability: China / South East Asia

1997 CASK #7420

Aged: 23 years

Cask Type: Virgin Wood Barrel

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Chestnut gold

Nose: Sweet candied orange and almond biscotti with banana, toffee and cream pie.

Palate: Candied citrus and spiced apple with liquorice root, caramel and sweet oak vanilla.

ABV: 51.6%

Availability: France & Belgium

1998 CASK #10298

Aged: 22 years

Cask Type: Marsala Wine Hogshead

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Burnished copper

Nose: Baked pear, apricot jam and clementine, with soft sweet spices and sugar fondant.

Palate: Caramelised apricot, tangy orange and hazelnut, layered with vanilla icing and ground nutmeg.

ABV: 52.2%

Availability: Italy

2005 CASK #1867

Aged: 15 years

Cask Type: Rum Barrel

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Honeyed gold

Nose: Candied apple, tropical fruit and pineapple syrup, enriched with smooth barley cream.

Palate: Golden fruit, soft spices and crème caramel, with lingering maple syrup and nut brittle.

ABV: 55.9%

Availability: Benriach Distillery Visitor Centre, Scotland

2007 CASK #3944

Aged: 13 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Peated

Appearance: Polished gold

Nose: Smoked apricot and silky milk chocolate with seared mandarin orange glaze

Palate: Smoked Brazil nut and walnut, balanced with sweet floral honey and chocolate cream.

ABV: 56.2%

Availability: France

2008 CASK #4052

Aged: 12 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Peated

Appearance: Burnished brass

Nose: Smoked stone fruit with cedar wood, with maple syrup and custard.

Palate: Sweet peat, smoked gingerbread and cinnamon spiced plum with hazelnut, baked apple and almond.

ABV: 60.5%

Availability: Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Malta & Poland

2009 CASK #4833

Aged: 11 years

Cask Type: Port Pipe

Style: Peated

Appearance: Ruby

Nose: Honeyed fruit syrup, smoked strawberry panna cotta and vanilla cheesecake.

Palate: Chocolate velvet cake balanced with wild berry, spiced orange, red apple and angelica root.

ABV: 60.8%

Availability: United Kingdom

2009 CASK #1642

Aged: 11 years

Cask Type: Madeira Hogshead

Style: Peated

Appearance: Rich gold

Nose: Smoke-laced melon and jellied fruit with honeycomb, aromatic coffee and sugared malt.

Palate: Smoked nutmeg, burnt orange and macadamia nut with cinnamon, pepper and lingering wintergreen.

ABV: 60.6%

Availability: Andorra, Poland and Portugal

2009 CASK #8562

Aged: 11 years

Cask Type: Oloroso Puncheon

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Burnt sienna

Nose: Toffee apple crunch and mixed nut brittle with pecan, almond and mixed spice.

Palate: Baked apple strudel with layers of bramley apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisin.

ABV: 58.9%

Availability: Nordics & East Europe

2009 CASK #8748

Aged: 11 years

Cask Type: Moscatel Hogshead

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Deep copper

Nose: Heather honey, apricot and sweet orange marmalade with hazelnut in golden syrup.

Palate: Deliciously sweet and fruity with honey, apricot and lingering pecan syrup.

ABV: 53.9%

Availability: The Netherlands

2009 CASK #3911

Aged: 11 years

Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Puncheon

Style: Classic unpeated

Appearance: Copper

Nose: Crème-caramel and fresh orange with rich malt and candied vanilla.

Palate: Mulled orange and chocolate caramel with brown sugar and chestnut cream.

ABV: 56.5%

Availability: Germany, Austria & Switzerland

About Benriach Distillery

A Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky as intriguing and extraordinary as Benriach could not have come to be without a unique whisky making heritage, dating from 1898, when founder John Duff built his distillery. Ruggedly beautiful, Benriach stands on the site of the old Riach farm in north Speyside, drawing water from a mineral-rich aquifer, deep beneath the distillery.

Thanks to a long-standing tradition of distilling three styles of whisky; classic unpeated, Highland peated and triple distilled, together with an eclectic selection of casks from around the world, our whisky makers are able to explore the full flavour possibilities of Single Malt, creating some of the richest, most multi-layered whiskies in Speyside.

This tradition continues today, under the guidance of Master Blender, Rachel Barrie. Benriach is the story of a hidden Speyside gem, quietly revealing its treasures to be discovered and savoured.

Facebook – @Benriach

Instagram – @Benriach

Twitter – @TheBenriach

ISLAY WHISKY LEGEND’S SIGNATURE COLLECTION UNVEILED

In the world of whisky, few have achieved such legendary status as that of Master Distiller, Jim McEwan.  A true maverick that guided the renaissance of the iconic Islay distillery, Bruichladdich, McEwan played an integral role in inspiring the direction of the single malt category as a whole.

In celebration of more than half a century of service to the whisky industry, the final casks from his personal reserves are now ready for release. Bottled as Jim’s very own collection of his finest creations, the Jim McEwan Signature Collection is the ultimate tribute to a career-long quest to produce the perfect dram.

Containing iconic Islay malts drawn from casks distilled under McEwan’s watch at Bruichladdich and bottled by Scottish independent bottlers, Dramfool, the collection will be made available this month, with part of the inaugural release to be auctioned by Whisky Auctioneer from 11-15 March 2021.

A true Islay whisky lover’s dream, the collection is made up of nine releases – each containing a single cask Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore expression.

The first edition bottlings to go under the hammer next week have been entirely matured in first-fill wine casks from the finest French Châteaux – inspired by McEwan’s use of alternative casks that would become a cornerstone of Bruichladdich’s legacy and style.

The first release includes an especially exciting Octomore expression – one of the oldest ever released at 13 years old and entirely matured in a Sauternes barrique, one of Octomore’s rarest wood styles.

The auction will feature exclusive opportunities such as the chance to acquire the second editions before they have even launched, with bottles #1-20 in the auction featuring both Edition 1 and 2 of the respective whiskies. Bottle #88 will also feature both editions – a very sought-after bottle number due to its symbolism of fortune and good luck in Chinese culture.

Winners of bottles #1-20 and #88 will also receive first refusal on that same bottle number in subsequent releases – an ideal opportunity for aspiring collectors to complete a full collection of the same bottle numbers.

Jim McEwan commented:

“It’s wonderful to see this collection of my final casks bottled and ready to be enjoyed. From starting in the whisky industry aged 15, I can see no better way to mark the ending of a career than to release my own personal collection.

“As my last casks come to market and I look back on 58 years of making whisky, it still excites me to see what is happening.  From apprentice cooper, to blender and then to master distiller, my journey has always been about education as well as passion, and it’s been a pleasure to share this with the world. Single Malt whisky is the blood of Scotland and it’s our job to look after it, cherish it and do a good job with it. It’s so important to our country as a whole, but particularly to the island of Islay that I call home.

“This collection really speaks for itself in terms of quality, just like each of the whiskies I’ve ever produced. I’m very excited to unveil these casks with Dramfool, and in partnership with Whisky Auctioneer I am sure they will be enjoyed across all corners of the globe.”

Joe Wilson, Head of Auction Content at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “The Jim McEwan Signature Collection embodies a true industry icon’s passion for the liquid he has spent most of his life creating, as well as the Island he calls home. It’s a pleasure to bring the first edition bottles to our online auction in partnership with Dramfool.

“These are the final casks to be selected by Jim during his time at Bruichladdich and the whiskies he has personally deemed to be amongst his finest creations. We’re sure Islay whisky lovers around the world will be incredibly excited to learn about the collection’s release, and to try these whiskies for themselves.”

From monstrous Islay smoke bombs to zesty, floral malts, each bottle is unique in style and flavour, yet similarly shaped by the Island’s wild, coastal elements.

Each expression in the Jim McEwan Signature Collection has been bottled at natural cask strength and is natural in colour, as well as non-chill filtered.

In addition to having the chance of being among the first to try the new liquid, Bruichladdich fans will also have the opportunity to bid on an exclusive private tasting experience during the auction, which will be hosted by Jim McEwan himself. 100% of the proceeds raised from this experience will be donated to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, a charity chosen personally by Jim which provides life saving support to the Islay community.

Jim McEwan began what would be a long and legendary career in the whisky industry at the age of 15 in 1963 as an apprentice cooper at Bowmore distillery, where he trained and refined his malt mastery for 38 years. He then helped reawaken Bruichladdich distillery in 2001, where he was Master Distiller for 15 years before retiring in 2015. McEwan was recently tempted back from retirement to help revive Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay.

To register to take part in the Jim McEwan Signature Collection auction, visit www.whiskyauctioneer.com

NOTES

About the Jim McEwan Signature Collection

 BRUICHLADDICH 2007

RELEASE 1.1

265 BOTTLES

CASK TYPE – FIRST FILL BORDEAUX

CASK NUMBER – #R08/153-12

AGE – 13 YEARS

COLOUR – AMBER/GOLD

STRENGTH – 61.8%

NOSE –  A combination of plump ripe grapes, sweet oak and hot-washed malt with an overture of rowan, birch and heather in bloom.

TASTE – Amazingly broad, ranging from fruity to floral to wine-like citrus, to kiln dried barley to oaky overtures.

PORT CHARLOTTE 2007

RELEASE 1.2

299 BOTTLES

CASK NUMBER – #RO8/152-2

CASK TYPE – FIRST FILL BORDEAUX

AGE – 13 YEARS

COLOUR – DEEP GOLDEN BRONZE BODY

STRENGTH – 60.9%

NOSE – Peat smoke and coastal wildflowers, held beautifully in a cradle of French Oak.

TASTE – Sweet crispiness of malted barley emerges and is accompanied by lighter notes of ripe plump grapes, and a coastal marine overture.

OCTOMORE 2007

RELEASE 1.3

290 BOTTLES

CASK TYPE – FIRST FILL SAUTERNES

CASK NUMBER – #3807

AGE – 13 YEARS

COLOUR – PURE GOLD/CHARTREUSE

STRENGTH – 57.5%

NOSE – Opens on a heat haze of peat fires and sweet oak, bog myrtle, heather flowers, wild thyme, and

then the beauty that is the wine emerges with style and grace.

TASTE – Plums and soft green grapes mingle with a slipstream of cooling marine sea breezes. French oak, peat smoke and sweet barley are all created by the super-slow distillation and maturation on the West Coast of Islay, where the air is pure and the casks breathe in the salt-laden air.

About Whisky Auctioneer

Whisky Auctioneer is the global market leader and trusted authority on the buying and selling of whisky and spirits at auction. Founded in 2013 and located in Perth, Whisky Auctioneer utilises its expertise and knowledge combined with its auction platform, to increase interest and passion in the whisky and spirits community.

Whisky Auctioneer endeavours to make the market more accessible for buyers and sellers of any background and geography. Its monthly global auctions feature the most comprehensive selection of old, rare and collectible whiskies and spirits available online. Whisky Auctioneer is passionate about connecting these bottles with those who share in their passion and actively support their customers in their aims, whether that be consuming, collecting or investing.

The Perth-based online auction house had a record year in 2020, which since January 2020 hosted 17 online auctions totalling a hammer price of almost £30 million. In February 2020, it made history during part one of the iconic sale of Mr. Gooding’s Collection when a bottle of The Macallan Valerio Adami fetched over one million dollars, and 1,932 bottles were sold for $4,277,000 (£3,290,000) hammer price in total.

Between mid-October and mid-November 2020 alone, the business experienced its largest month in value and volume across its auctions to date – including £375k hammer price for an exclusive Bourbon and American Whiskey Auction, £3.3m hammer price for its regular monthly October Auction and £218k hammer price for a specialist Glenfiddich Auction. The business currently sees over 100,000 bids per month and has conducted deliveries to 74 countries across the globe. It also opened its first European base in Germany last year.

The business’ Founder, Iain McClune, was listed as ‘One to Watch’ in The Telegraph’s Most Ambitious Business Leaders 2020 programme.

About Dramfool: 

Dramfool are Scottish independent bottlers that have been bottling cask strength, non-chill filtered whisky since the business was founded by Bruce Farquhar in 2015. Bruce’s passion for good whisky has taken him all over Europe and as far as Japan hosting tastings and spreading the word of Dramfool. His mantra – ‘I only bottle whisky that I like’ does not waver; he won’t offer a bottling for sale unless he feels it meets his standards. This has led to consistently high reviews from connoisseur drinkers and industry specialists alike.

www.dramfool.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

 Visit:  www.whiskyauctioneer.com

Instagram: whiskyauctioneer

Facebook: WhiskyAuctioneer

Twitter:  Whisky_auction

Push new boundaries in the pursuit of flavour; taste and explore our beautifully unique and intriguing new cask collection as we feature a few lesser-known distilleries.

ENRICHED GERANIUM

CASK NO. 39.196

CASK TYPE:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

AGE:  13 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Light & delicate

A CURIOSITY OF FLAVOURS

CASK NO. 46.88

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  2nd fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead

AGE:  22 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

FUNKY OLD BODEGA

CASK NO. 63.63

CASK TYPE:  2nd fill sherry butt

AGE:  7 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

STIRS YOUR SOUL

CASK NO. 35.258

CASK TYPE:  Refill Oloroso sherry puncheon

AGE:  11 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & dry

A BELTER OF A DRAM!

CASK NO. 6.39

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-Oloroso sherry butt

FINAL CASK:  1st fill Pedro Ximenez butt

AGE:  7 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & sweet

CHEEKY AND REEKY

CASK NO. 135.21

CASK TYPE:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

AGE:  14 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Lightly peated

SEARINGLY SWEET PURPLE SMOKE

CASK NO. 144.1

CASK TYPE:  New oak barrel

AGE:  7 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Peated

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca

TyndrumWhisky.com

Brings you

Wee Mongrel

A 20 Year Old thing of beauty, from the upcoming wizards (and Vets) that call themselves ‘Little Brown Dog’.

This is BATCH ONE.

Matured in a Single Sherry Butt, and bottled at Cask Strength 52.3% abv.
Full of fruity and rich spicy goodness.

As the Official notes go – It’s Braw.
We can’t offer anything else, other than – IT’S BRAW.
(and it’s under £50)

Order Now >

Join Us For a Virtual Tasting on Facebook Live

On March 18th at 7pm ET, join us for a Facebook Live virtual tasting as we discuss the trio of newly announced American Single Malt expressions in the Courage & Conviction family. We’ll discuss tasting notes, the differences between each expression, and open up to a Q&A session with our team.

REGISTER HERE

Matthew Gloag created The Grouse in 1896, renamed The Famous Grouse in 1905. Classicslly, Famous Grouse would contain Macallan and Highland Park. But Smoky Black uses an in-house peated malt produced by Glenturret once a year called Ruddy Mhor.

Edrington don’t own Glenturret anymore, it’s now in Lalique’s hands. But they still own the Famous Grouse brand. So even though it contains peated Glenturret, other whiskies within the Edrington umbrella could be within it: Bowmore, Highland Park, Macallan? Glen Garioch.

2,000,000 cases annually and Royal Warrant in 1984 have allowed the brand to become one of the best selling, and most well known in Scotch whisky.

https://youtu.be/nSj1fxN2d20

Plans submitted for Dunphail – the craft distillery experience 

The team behind London’s Bimber Distillery have today confirmed plans to open a new Scottish whisky distillery in Dunphail, south of Forres. The proposal, which is currently being reviewed by Moray Council, will see an existing farm steading converted into a small (200,000 LA capacity), craft Scotch whisky distillery that combines tradition and modernity into both its appearance and its production processes.

‘Dunphail Distillery’ will feature a floor malting facility and traditional kiln designed to process 100% of the distillery’s locally sourced barley, as well as a cutting-edge visitor centre, blending rooms and dunnage warehousing. Pending planning consent and construction, distillation is expected to commence at the site in 2022. The distillery aims to produce a full-bodied, fruit-forward spirit in both unpeated and peated styles.

Speaking of the announcement, Dariusz Plazewski commented: “We’re tremendously excited by the prospect of opening Dunphail Distillery – whisky making has been a lifetime passion for us – and that enthusiasm both originated and has continued to grow from our love for the quality and diversity of Scotch. We are aiming to create whiskies with distinctive profiles that have been shaped by traditional production processes. At the same time, we are committed to building a distillery that encourages people to act, think and drink different – and for us to lead the way by reducing our environmental footprint.”

The distillery will be situated and developed in an environment where people and nature thrive together. Sustainable production methods, energy efficiency and water conservation will be placed at the heart of Dunphail’s production methods, whilst ingredients and plastic-free packaging will be sourced as locally as possible, dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of the site. Together with the implementation of systems to reduce water use, the team also intend to create a new forest on the grounds of the distillery. For every cask purchased, a tree will be planted, greatly improving the biodiversity of the area and providing a wonderfully rich habitat for many insects, lichen and birds.

Darius added: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for us. We are aiming to expand our production capacity at Bimber by exploring potential London sites for a relocation – at the same time we are thrilled to be looking to Scotland to establish a new distillery that will be distinctive from and run separately to Bimber. Drawing from our experience and knowledge, we intend to combine our traditional outlook to production with a forward-looking innovative approach to whisky education and appreciation. Our vision for Dunphail is to craft truly exceptional, world-class spirit born of the techniques of the past – but with its focus firmly on the future.”

Dancing Goat Distillery Opens First Open-Air Rickhouse in Wisconsin

Cambridge, WI March 2, 2021 The Dancing Goat Distillery in Cambridge, Wisconsin has begun rolling barrels of its award-winning Limousin Rye Whiskey into its new open-air rickhouse.  Rickhouse #1 at the Dancing Goat Distillery, is the first non-climate controlled rickhouse built in Wisconsin.  It is the first of five being planned by the craft distillery.

Rickhouses have been used for more than 140 years to age whiskey.  The building is designed using floors of ricks that allow the barrels to be rolled in and stored on their sides, giving the whiskey exposure to the wood on all sides versus the more modern palletized or stacked warehouse storage systems where the barrels are stored on end and the top side charred wood does not contact the whiskey. Dancing Goat partnered with the leading rickhouse designer and builder, Buzick Construction of Bardstown, Kentucky.  Its rickhouses are used by virtually every major whiskey producer.

Dancing Goat is one of only a select few craft distillers in the United States that use the time-honored, traditional methods of aging its barrels of whiskey in an open air rickhouse which also benefits from natural climate changes to move the whiskey in and out of the wood in the barrel.  This creates a better natural process to age the whiskey than temperature controlled warehouses that have restricted airflow that do not allow as much interaction with the wooden staves.

“When fully exposed to the extremes of weather in Wisconsin our whiskey will move in and out of the staves as the temperature changes throughout the four seasons, making every year of age incredibly impactful,” said Tom Maas, chairman of Dancing Goat Distillery.  “The mellowing and concentration of flavors occurring during this natural process results in whiskey that connoisseurs will truly appreciate while those new to whiskey will be able to experience whiskey as it was meant to be.”

Dancing Goat Rickhouse #1 is five stories tall and measures 8,750 square feet.  It houses up to 7,800 barrels. Every barrel will begin the aging process at approximately 125 proof.  The placement and rotation of barrels in this type of rickhouse are also important during the aging process and carefully monitored to achieve consistency.  While the outdoor temperature varies, the indoor temperature also varies from lower to higher floors.  Temperatures naturally rise the higher the floor.  All of this, in addition to differences in air flow between barrels on each floor is taken into account when deciding what final proof and flavor profile the distiller is trying to achieve.

“Marrying our recipes with open-air, rickhouse aging provides exciting opportunities to produce some of the most unique, world-class whiskeys, right here in Wisconsin, which is where my family’s distilling roots began,” said Nick Maas, VP of distilling and innovation.  “Wisconsin’s seasonal temperature goes from -10° in the winter to 90° in the summer.  We enjoy the fact that this natural 100° temperature swing allows us to partner with Mother Nature to assist in making our Dancing Goat whiskies special.