Once upon a time ex-Bourbon casks and ex-Sherry casks reigned supreme. However the world of whisky has been shifting for some time… It is relatively common now to find whiskies finished in Port Pipes, Rum and even Cognac.

Our Whisky Ladies are no strangers to this development. We’ve discovered some we’ve loved like Arran’s Amarone Cask and Brenne’s Cognac Cask, others less successful like Hellyer’s Road Pinot Noir, with a few in between such as Glenglassaugh Port Peated, Jameson Stout.

So we decided to dedicate an evening to finishes other than Sherry… we put out the call and here is what we brought together:

• Glenfiddich IPA 43% – Part of the Glenfiddich Experimental Series, The Speyside Craft Brewery created a beer which was aged in ex-Glenfiddich casks for a month before they were returned to the distillery and filled with whisky for a three-month finishing period. It has been available since 2016 and can readily be found in most duty free.
• From Wales, Penderyn Madeira 46% – Launched in 2004, I tried Penderyn’s Madeira before and was delighted to share it with the Whisky Ladies… While not found everywhere, it isn’t impossible to track down and once upon a time could even be spotted in some duty frees.
• Tomatin 14 year Port Wood finish 46% – This expression joined the Highland Tomatin core range in 2014. The finish in Port Pipes is for around a year to round off 13 years in ex-Bourbon barrels. You won’t find this one in travel retail but its still possible to track down.
• From India, Amrut Port Pipe Peated 48% – By contrast, there are only 100 bottles released India as part of The Vault Bianelle festival edition. This single cask whisky combined 3 year Virgin Oak and ex-Bourbon matured peated malts then finished in a 30 year old Port Pipe from Portugal for 2.5 years.

Curious to know more? Just click on the whisky links above to read our tasting notes and more about what we explored!

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