Single Barrel Thrives in Kentucky, but It's a Rarity in Scotland

In the world of single malt scotch, the single cask expression is a rare sighting indeed, and Scotland’s independent bottlers are the best source for these unusual gems. That’s because the top scotch whisky distilleries are simply too busy to bother picking single casks from the warehouse and bottling them for export. But whisky enthusiasts absolutely love them, because they offer a flavor journey and experience that very few people will ever share.

Glendronach Distillery has cultivated legions of fans for its sherried, cask strength, single cask bottlings. Its first batch was released in July 2009, and the program has thrived, with around 25 of the highest-quality casks selected each year by master blender Rachel Barrie. “When setting aside a cask for bottling, I’m looking for an exquisite character and a richly rewarding taste—showcasing a distinctive facet of Glendronach sherry cask mastery,“ she says. “An example might be a highly distinctive Pedro Ximénez sherry puncheon with a swath of indulgent chocolate, raisins, espresso coffee, and treacle, or an oloroso sherry butt with baked orange, gingerbread, spiced fruitcake, and toasted walnut.”

These sherry cask-aged Glendronachs have a variety of hues including golden brown, bronze, antique copper, auburn, mahogany, walnut, and even onyx. Each whisky is naturally different, but the larger volume in the robust Spanish oak sherry puncheons and butts leads to less variation in the alcohol strength than would occur in a standard barrel or hogshead. For a whisky aged nearly 30 years, Glendronach single cask ABVs usually sit between 50% and 55%. “The Glendronach signature style is robust, deep, and complex—characteristics found in every cask and bottle,” says Barrie. The variation is seen in the degrees of intensity of the dark and dried fruits, such as brambles, cherries, dates, raisins, and sultanas, together with sherried oak, nuts, and spices.

Master blender Billy Walker was the man who started the single cask program at Glendronach in 2008, and he’s now doing it at GlenAllachie Distillery. “Blenders constantly interact with the casks; we have the advantage of following the organoleptic and flavor profile throughout the maturation journey,” he explains. His senses are thus well attuned to spotting exceptional casks and judging the optimal moment for bottling. Single cask scotches at GlenAllachie are also typically bottled at cask strength, with the greater alcohol strength providing versatility for drinkers to enjoy it in different ways. “It’s important to deliver a cask strength experience,” says Walker. “The idea is for drinkers to enjoy the whisky as if they were sampling it directly from the cask in one of our warehouses in Speyside.”

In all it’s a varied and unpredictable ride, but Walker certainly relishes the hunt. “In the world of whisky there are no certainties, and sometimes there are wonderful surprises,” he says. “Our single cask offerings embody those surprises.”

OFFICIAL SINGLE CASK SCOTCHES TO TRY

Ardnamurchan Single Cask Peated Oloroso (Hogshead AD/CK.632 09:15) 59.8% • $115 • 327 bottles

Balvenie 15 year old Sherry Cask 47.8% • $145 • 650 bottles

GlenAllachie 12 year old Oloroso Puncheon (Cask 5138) 56.6% • $180 • 680 bottles

Glendronach Cask Bottling 29 year old 1992 Oloroso Sherry Butt 55.4% • $820 • 383 bottles

Highland Park Single Cask Series 13 year old Wall Street Edition 65.2% • $230 • 583 bottles

Isle of Raasay Peated Chinkapin Oak (Cask 18/29) 61.4% • $120 • 269 bottles