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Savouring a wine’s finish in whisky

While finishing a whisky in wine cask is a well-established trend, there’s been a recent flurry of nuanced releases getting more granular about the detail of the wine that once resided in the barrel. Colin Hampden-White explores the rise and questions whether grape variety, cru and even estate should matter to whisky lovers

Words by Colin Hampden-White

The Collection
(Illustration by Noma Bar)

While food and wine are natural partners, wine lover Dr Bill Lumsden, the master blender for Glenmorangie, thinks whisky can make just as fine a dinner pairing; even better if the whisky has been influenced by wine. This premise informs Glenmorangie’s latest collection, Pursuit of Passion, created by Dr Bill to indulge his love of both whisky and wine – with the spirit finished in Margaux, Corton-Charlemagne and Barbaresco wine barriques. ‘There are many complementary flavours within the world of wine and whisky,’ says Lumsden of these latest expressions. ‘Finishing the whisky in wine casks gives new flavours and nuances to the whisky without taking away its core character.’

These Glenmorangie releases are just the latest in a long line of whiskies finished in wine casks. Since Balvenie Doublewood launched in 1996 – the first-ever finished whisky, created by David Stewart MBE of William Grant & Sons – whiskies finished in ex-Sherry or ex-Port casks have become a staple of the world of spirits. After an initial maturation period in cask, the finishing process sees the spirit rested in a further cask for around 18 months, bringing extra flavour to the whisky. These finishes are now more popular than ever, with many different types of finishing cask being pulled into production.

The degree of detail shared by distilleries about the casks chosen for the process is becoming more and more forensic

What’s changing, however, is the degree of detail shared by distilleries about the casks chosen for the process, something that is becoming more and more forensic. For example, Glenfiddich’s Grand Château, released earlier this year, specifies the use of casks sourced directly from Bordeaux for its finish. Meanwhile, last year’s launch of Aberfeldy 21 referenced a finishing period in Pauillac casks. Indeed, we’re now seeing wine-cask finishes where grape variety, appellation, cru and even the specific estate are listed on the bottle.

To understand the trend, first it’s essential to get to grips with the origins of finishing, a technique used by distilleries for several different reasons. One key reason is an injection of extra flavour, needed either because the cask in which the whisky has been matured is tired, or because extra flavour is desired by the producer to create a different style. Initially, sweet- and fortified-wine casks were selected for these purposes, thanks to their desirable sweeter notes – for example, Nectar d’Or from Glenmorangie, now a 16-year-old called Nectar, which is known for its dessert-like qualities. Over time, however, all sorts of wine cask have become a part of the process (not to mention the many other types of cask now also in the mix – from rum to beer, and from vermouth to Tequila).

Another driver of the finishing trend has been the rise of the independent bottler. These dynamic whisky-makers mostly bottle one cask at a time, and this allows for greater experimentation and creativity when finishing a whisky, with the sourcing of only one cask type required. Also, these independent bottlers aren’t restricted to a house style and can alter the profile greatly through finishing. The resultant whiskies have a huge array of flavours and can give whisky drinkers a new experience of their favourite distillery. This has encouraged the big brands to dip their toes into more adventurous wine-cask waters.

wine cask whisky
(Illustration by Noma Bar)

But the rise of the cask finish hasn’t just been triggered by a quest for new flavour. There are more practical reasons at play. For example, there is a global shortage of oak barrels for maturing whisky, which are becoming more expensive as a result. Casks may be used a number of times to mature whisky, but because of these cost constraints, these uses are increasing, and each use is lasting longer. With many more old, tired casks involved in maturation, finishing might be more of a requirement. The ever popular Sherry cask has become especially expensive. These are currently up to ten times as pricey as ex-bourbon casks, causing producers to save the Sherry for the finish instead: these casks can be used for shorter periods many times to impart those coveted and complex fruity and nutty flavours.

Of course, not all distilleries can afford to dabble in Sherry cask finishes, so – when coupled with these other factors – they have instead explored new territory when it comes to finishing their latest expression, gaining fresh knowledge about what a certain cask can bring to a whisky. ‘Wine-cask ageing has become all the rage among whisky producers,’ says Dawn Davies MW, head buyer at Speciality Drinks. ‘But it is vital to the quality of the final whisky that they understand the wine that was in it before, the properties of that wine – such as flavour profile and tannin structure.’

Currently, it is most common for the region of the cask to be mentioned on the bottle – either Bordeaux or Burgundy, for example, whose different grape varieties give different flavours and textures. Glenmorangie’s 25-year-old Pommard-cask finish has rich red-fruit flavours, and the tannin levels from these Pinot Noir barrels are fine, giving the whisky a very smooth texture. Plus there are plenty of instances now where the grape variety of the wine that was once stored in the cask, as well as the region, is shown on the whisky bottle. For example, Aberfeldy 18 Year Old is finished in ex-Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques from Napa, which gives more texture from the tannins in the wine and flavours of dark fruit such as blackberries.

Given the rarity of some casks, declaring a specific estate was once most common among independent bottlers –the likes of Single & Single, with its 8-year-old Tullibardine finished in a Château Margaux cask and released in 2022, for example. While the phenomenon isn’t completely new among distilleries – back in 2009, Bruichladdich launched its 1855 First Growth Series, showing the exact estates the finishing casks came from – it’s becoming more common, from Green Spot in Ireland championing the use of Léoville Barton wine barrels, to Aberfeldy collaborating with Argentina’s Finca Ambrosia, finishing its whisky in Malbec casks. It’s clear to see the trend for a deeper level of detail is starting to snowball.

Several canny producers are also considering the additional environmental benefit of using the different types of cask available to them locally. For example, Starward in Australia is using Yalumba Shiraz wine barrels, which give dark berry-fruit flavours and extra spiciness.

Can one estate really make a difference when compared to another from the same region? In truth, it’s complicated

With all this information on the bottle, it can be difficult to decipher which aspects are the most important. And surely certain questions around wine-cask finishing also arise. For example, can distinct flavour characteristics come from two different regions if the same grape variety was resting in the cask beforehand? Can one estate really make a difference when compared to another from the same region? In truth, it’s complicated.

It is unlikely that the finish of a cask from one top-tier wine estate in a single-variety region is better or different from another, but the estate name can help a great deal in the marketing of the whisky in question. And casks from certain estates should bring a degree of assurance to a finish, too. ‘A Cabernet Sauvignon cask from Léoville Barton will be wildly different from a cask of an unnamed cooperative producing bulk wine. The final flavour of the whisky can be affected by a bad cask of wine,’ says Davies. ‘[Whisky producers] want the flavours of those wines, so why would they not be concerned with what those wines tasted like before. It is like saying all whisky is the same,’ she adds.

What we do know is that there is a trend for whisky drinkers seeking authenticity around what they are tasting. We like to know the provenance of the ingredients used, and why shouldn’t this include the barrels used for maturation and finishing? As consumers become more interested in different flavours and where they come from, it’s unlikely that the trend for more information on a bottle will go away. In fact, it tracks with the increasingly granular level of detail we’re finding about the varieties of grain used and where they are grown, and the types of yeast strain favoured in fermentation.

Ultimately, there are those of us who relish reading bottle labels, whether it be for a whisky or a wine; and for us, the more detail there is, the better. Whether or not you’ll get away with serving a Cabernet-influenced dram alongside steak at your next dinner party is another matter entirely.