By aging the whisky in oak casks, we try to transfer aromas and flavors from the barrel to the spirit. Choosing good casks is essential to obtain a good whisky. In addition to aging, we have the whiskey finishing process: we use a very distinctive cask to give the spirit another layer of complexity and round its edges.
Although it may seem a common practice today, the whiskey finishing has gone from being experimental to become a widespread practice only during the last 15-20 years. Among the most used barrels for finishing, there are Port pipes, which, as the name implies, are large 650-liters barrels that contained Vinho do Porto and Sherry butts, a smaller type of oak casks. There are also Madeira barrels and those used for aging Rum. Recently, some distilleries have raised the bar by introducing barrels purchased from wineries, such as Sauternes, Barolo, Amarone, French barriques, and Tokaji, but virtually any type of cask is usable. Glenfiddich just released two whiskies with an even more experimental finishing: in IPA (Indian Pale Ale) and ice wine barrels, a particular type of wine obtained by vinification of frozen grapes harvested in winter.
Starting from a product with a certain character, it’s obvious that the master blender has to choose the right cask for the right spirit: nothing weak and nothing overpowering. To give a practical example, we won’t use a very flavorful barrel like a first-fill Sherry butt to finish a spirit with a light body and subtle taste. In essence, the finishing process allows the various distilleries to experiment and play with a much wider range of flavors and products. However, since it’s a drastic intervention on the distillate, finishing attracted some criticism: detractors say that it aims to soften products otherwise too sharp for the consumer. Sometimes, it serves to hide certain defects in the final product.
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