Agave Meets Grain

There’s a long history of aging scotch whisky in barrels that previously held other spirits or wines—most notably sherry, but also red and white table wines, cognac, madeira, and more. But scotch’s governing body, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), has kept a watchful eye on precisely which barrels are permitted for use, and tequila barrels were on the forbidden list—until recently.

In 2019 the SWA loosened the rules to allow the use of tequila barrels, adding a new element to scotch whisky’s repertoire. Because the change is so recent, only a handful of scotch distillers have released tequila-finished expressions thus far, and not all have been available in the U.S.—Islay distiller Kilchoman was among the first to release one stateside, debuting an 8 year old single cask bottling of tequila-finished single malt for ImpEx Beverage’s Cask Evolution series in 2022, with just 236 bottles released. More recently there’s been the addition of tequila-finished whiskies including Lagavulin 12 year old The Ink of Legends (2023 Diageo Special Releases), Deanston 15 year old, Smokehead Terminado single malts, and Rock Island blend.

For whisky styles with less strict regulations than scotch, finishing in tequila barrels has been a very recent practice, though it’s well worth seeking out these unique expressions. American craft producers like Balcones Distilling, FEW Spirits, Sagamore Spirit, Lonerider Spirits, and Black Button Distilling have all offered tequila-finished whiskeys. Others, like High West and Jack Daniel, have gotten on board with their own limited-edition releases. Irish distilleries, too, are experimenting with this finishing technique: Killowen introduced its 10 year old Bonded Experimental Series Tequila Cask Small Batch blend in 2020, with just 350 bottles produced, and in late 2023 Bushmills released its 12 year old Private Reserve Tequila Barrel Finished.

“We’re always interested in exploring unexpected pairings, and despite it being uncommon to mix tequila and whiskey, we believed that the flavor profiles typically found in extra añejo tequila would layer nicely with our rye,” says Ryan Norwood, director of distillery operations at Sagamore Spirit. To test this theory, the distilling team started the project with a couple of R&D barrels. Pleased with the results, Sagamore scaled it to a national limited release in early 2021.

“This project was riskier than some of our more traditional finishing projects, where we use some form of wine or brandy barrel as a finishing cask to impart subtle fruit characteristics into our rye,” says Norwood. “Instead, the process was more in line with some of the experimental projects we’ve done with mead, cider, and beer barrels, where on paper it might not sound like a natural pairing, but when you get down to how the specific flavor components marry up, you can find yourself with a delicious whiskey.” Norwood adds that the tequila barrels impart some agave notes, but orange rind, peppercorn, and honey come through even more and layer nicely with the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and caramel typically found in Sagamore rye.

“Tequila barrels are great—you get this grassy, vegetal sweetness that plays really nicely with the spice and grain in our straight bourbon,” says Paul Hletko, FEW Spirits founder and distiller. “We like tequila but we obviously can’t make it here in the Chicago area, so tequila barrel-finished bourbon is the next best thing.”

Chris Mielke, president, head of operations, and bourbon steward for Lonerider Spirits, notes that tequila barrel-finished bourbon is a delightful segue for tequila drinkers who haven’t explored bourbon, and it also gives bourbon fans an exciting new take on their favorite spirit. “The tequila barrels infuse earthy tones into the bourbon and seem to open it up, making it more aromatic,” he says. “Bourbon drinkers always like new and different flavors, and distillers like to indulge them by expanding their range of tastes, so it’s definitely possible that tequila finishing will grow more popular.”

Tequila’s popularity certainly continues to soar, so there’s more access to tequila barrels than ever before and more opportunity for some fun new whisky expressions to develop. “It’s hard to say if this opportunity will translate into a trend, but it certainly could,” Norwood says. “The tequila finish that we did was a one-time release and no longer available, but our innovation team is always exploring and may or may not have some whiskey in mezcal barrels at the moment.”

5 Tequila Finished Whiskies to Try

Bushmills 12 year old Private Reserve Tequila Barrel Finished Irish Single Malt, 47.5%, $85

Matured in bourbon barrels and oloroso sherry casks before finishing in a combination of añejo and reposado casks.

Chivas Regal Extra 13 Tequila Cask Blended Scotch, 40%, $45

A portion of this blend is finished in tequila casks that add a bold dimension to the standard Chivas Regal style.

Deanston 15 year old Tequila Cask Finished Scotch Single Malt, 51%, $110

Initially aged in oak hogsheads for 13 years before spending an additional 2 years in tequila casks.

FEW Spirits All Secrets Known Bourbon, 50.5%, $75

Developed in collaboration with rock band Alice in Chains, this limited-edition high-rye straight bourbon was finished for 6 months in reposado barrels.

Killowen 10 year old Bonded Experimental Series Tequila Cask Small Batch Blended Irish, 52.5%, $90

Just 350 bottles were released of this blend of whiskeys aged 10 to 12 years in bourbon barrels and sherry butts and finished for 6 months in reposado barrels.