Whisky Illuminati
I touched more on the society in my previous post so rather than go over the same I thought I’d explain a little more about the concept behind this series of releases and look at the ethics behind the idea..
This Solaria series might not be a first but it is fairly unusual in the way it will work, let’s imagine this is an ongoing release and imagine for a minute this is a unique insight into how whisky changes within the cask.
We know every cask is different and will impart flavours and aromas unique to that individual cask and this is hopefully a way of taking s peek into that progress, the only problem with this I suppose is the fact that when you take spirit out of the cask it will alter the basics of the process.. Bit this is still a great idea for those who want to see some sort of progress.
In this release the casks were gauged and the bulk averaged into 3 releases, the first release is bottled and in this instance the Sherry hogshead will only offer up 100 bottles per Release.. Each release will of course be classed as a single cask, cask strength and natural, the second release for this cask will be in 2021 and the final part will be released 2023..
The interesting thing is the fact if you buy this first release you get to reserve Bottle 2 in order to not miss out which has to be a good idea !! No upfront payment, no paying over the odds on the secondary market and hopefully a full set in 4 years time..
Craigellachie 2011 Cask #900328
Distillery.. Craigellachie
Region.. Speyside
Age.. 8 years
Vintage.. 2011
Abv.. 67.9%
Cask.. Sherry Hogshead #900328
Bottler.. Whisky Illuminati
Nose.. There is a definite youthfulness to this dram, first impression was something like Iron bru mixed with dried fruits and a little liquorice. Chocolate infused with orange and ginger bring a little sweetness before a touch of tobacco leaf gently rises.
Palate.. This is where it all comes together, Some nice spices work perfectly well with the dried fruit and sweeter side while still managing to bring that typical Craigellachie style.
Finish.. Although a little basic it lingers with those spices.
Thoughts.. This one is an interesting one, you can tell it’s different and those worm tubs have left their mark.. A slight undertone of sulphur can be found lurking but it is quite delicate and isn’t unexpected if you know the distillery profile beforehand.
This expression is one that will I think offer the most changes over time, the Sherry maturation still has room to work and like the others this is full maturation in Sherry but it hasn’t really over dominated the flavours and aromas.
Typically Craigellachie with a twist..
With thanks to Whisky Illuminati for the sample.
ocdwhisky.com 