A Word on Whisky Barrels
A lot of alcoholic beverages, such as wine and bourbon, benefit from a new barrel, where pronounced oak influence is welcomed as part of the dominant flavour profile. Single malt whisky is different. To enjoy the delicacy of the spirit including the gentle barley flavour of the original mash used to make the whisky, we much prefer a seasoned cask, meaning a barrel that has held something else for a while in order to tame the oak.
By definition, bourbon must be aged in new (“virgin”) barrels made of American oak. This means that used bourbon barrels must be applied to another purpose. At Amber Lane we love used bourbon casks because the activity in the oak is low, allowing us to age our whisky spirit in them for longer periods of time. An average 200L bourbon cask will also have 10-15 kg of bourbon dry-soaked into the staves of the barrel. This delicious goodness is released into the spirit we put in the barrel at Amber Lane, creating a gorgeous synergy of vanilla-bourbon and Amber Lane new make flavours.
Sherry casks are quite different. Sometimes made of European oak, and even larger at 250L to 300L or more, these take a lot longer to season before they are suitable for whisky maturation because sherry is usually aged at 16-18% ABV, compared with bourbon at 62.5% ABV. It is worth the wait (and additional expense) because sherry casks impart the most delicious and exotic flavours, often described as “Christmas pudding”, dried fruits and dark chocolate.
At Amber Lane we are fortunate to have secured a large inventory of Sherry casks aged approximately 30 years, from the Fernando de Castilla bodega in Jerez, Spain. These casks are far superior to Australian sherry-style casks (called “apera”), which have often held apera for less than 6 years, with the oak up to 10 times more active than ex-Bourbon casks with the same level of age. Our preference is Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks, two styles that marry beautifully in the context of seeking a balanced whisky flavour profile.
A central focus at Amber Lane is experimenting with the merger of the flavour profiles of Bourbon cask and Sherry cask expressions. Our second release Liquid Amber is almost entirely sherry cask, with just a small amount of bourbon to provide a lovely vanilla back-note. Our third release Amberosia is the opposite – almost exclusively bourbon cask with an even smaller amount of sherry to add a little sweetness to balance the citrus notes from the Bourbon cask.
Our first release Destiny is intended to find a delicate balance between the two flavour profiles. Depending on what you focus on, you will find the influence of the bourbon cask, then the sherry. A constantly moving and complex blend. No one flavour profile dominates, it is intended as the perfect marriage of both!
Part of the fun of bringing different casks together is that every cask is different. Set formulas don’t work – it is only when we start mixing casks that we see how they play together, and where the perfect tipping point is. Each new release of Destiny, Liquid Amber and Amberosia, which will be our core range, will differ slightly due to these inherent differences in every barrel we mature. It’s fascinating, complicated, and a constantly surprising endeavour!
