Single barrel whiskey

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Barrels of whiskey aging in a rick house. Most brands are a blend of multiple barrels, but whiskey may be bottled from a single barrel. Beam Rack House.jpg
Barrels of whiskey aging in a rick house. Most brands are a blend of multiple barrels, but whiskey may be bottled from a single barrel.
Bottle of Yoichi 10 Year Single Cask Yoichi single cask 10.jpg
Bottle of Yoichi 10 Year Single Cask

Single barrel whiskey (or single cask whiskey) is a premium class of whiskey in which each bottle comes from an individual aging barrel, instead of coming from blending together the contents of various barrels to provide uniformity of color and taste. By contrast, some other whiskeys, even ones that are not blends, may be combined from more than one batch, or even from differing years to achieve consistency. The whiskey from each barrel is bottled separately, with each bottle bearing the barrel number and in most cases the dates for the beginning and end of aging. Each barrel is believed to contribute unique characteristics to the finished whiskey. [1]

Contents

There has been some recent controversy over whether single cask whiskeys are indeed all from single casks. Whiskeys sold by Scottish distilleries such as Ben Nevis and GlenDronach as "single casks" have been revealed to be vattings of multiple barrels, which may have been of different kinds, with the "single cask" designation referring only to the final cask for maturation. [1] In the absence of specific regulation regarding this language, it is not clear to what extent this practice is prevalent in the industry as a whole.

Single barrels may further be at cask strength or non-chill-filtered to further avoid adulterating the taste of a cask.

Brands

The following is a list of some single barrel whiskeys:

Scotch

North American

A bottle of Jack Daniel's Silver Select Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey W2418-JackDaniels SilverSelect Extracted 20160409 008N960.png
A bottle of Jack Daniel's Silver Select Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotch whisky</span> Malt or grain whisky distilled in Scotland

Scotch whisky, often simply called whisky or Scotch, is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whisky</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage

Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single malt whisky</span> Malt whisky from a single distillery

Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee whiskey</span> Type of American whiskey

Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to their products as "bourbon" and do not label them as such on any of their bottles or advertising materials. All current Tennessee whiskey producers are required by Tennessee law to produce their whiskeys in Tennessee and – with the sole exception of Benjamin Prichard's – to use a filtering step known as the Lincoln County Process prior to aging the whiskey. Beyond the perceived marketing value of the distinction, Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have almost identical requirements, and most Tennessee whiskeys meet the criteria for bourbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laphroaig distillery</span> Scotch whisky distillery on Islay, Scotland

Laphroaig distillery is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery. It is named after the area of land at the head of Loch Laphroaig on the south coast of the island of Islay. The meaning of the toponym is unknown, but a commonly suggested etymology includes the elements lag, breidd, and vík, implying an original Gaelic form similar to Lag Bhròdhaig. The name may be related to a placename on the east coast of Islay, Pròaig, again suggested as meaning 'broad bay'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Beam</span> Brand of bourbon whiskey

Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795, seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the Fortune Brands holding company, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Williams (bourbon)</span> Brand of bourbon whiskey

Evan Williams is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by the Heaven Hill company. The product is aged for a minimum of four years. It has been ranked as one of the world's best selling whiskey brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven Hill</span> American distillery company

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits. Its current distillery facility, called the Heaven Hill Bernheim distillery, is in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the seventh-largest alcohol supplier in the United States, the second-largest holder of bourbon whiskey inventory in the world, the largest, independent, family-owned and operated producer and marketer of distilled spirits in the United States, and the only large family-owned distillery company headquartered in Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Premium</span>

Alberta Premium is one of the few remaining 100% rye grain rye whiskies produced in North America. The brand is owned by Beam Suntory

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small batch whiskey</span>

Small batch whiskey is whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small batch whiskeys are commercially positioned for the upper-premium market. The term is most commonly used for American whiskey but is sometimes used for other whiskeys as well. For example, the Bowmore distillery in Islay, Scotland, has produced a single malt Scotch whisky labeled as "small batch".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German whisky</span>

German whisky is a distilled beverage produced in Germany made from grains traditionally associated with the production of whisky. The distillation of German-made whisky is a relatively recent phenomenon having only started in the last 30 years. The styles produced resemble those made in Ireland, Scotland and the United States: single malts, blends, and bourbon styles. There is no standard spelling of German whiskies with distilleries using both "whisky" and "whiskey" and one even using "Whesskey", a play on the word whisky and Hessen, the state in which it is produced. There are currently 23 distilleries in Germany producing whisky.

Nelson's Green Brier Distillery is a popular whiskey distillery located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee that produces different varieties of Tennessee whiskey and bourbons. The distillery, located at 1414 Clinton St. Nashville, Tennessee 37203, offers daily tours and tastings as well as a large mercantile shop with bottles, barware and apparel available for purchase. As of summer 2023, Nelson's Green Brier Distillery will open a restaurant and bar as well as several private event and dining spaces available to rent for corporate functions, weddings and celebrations of varying sizes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willett Distillery</span>

Willett Distillery, also known as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), Ltd., is a private family-owned and -operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey. Over the years the company has bottled whiskeys that range from 2 years of aging maturity up to 28 years.

It has been common practice in the whisky industry for more than a century for distilleries to sell barrels of whisky to blenders and independent bottlers as a means of making additional income. In fact, some distilleries exist solely to serve independent bottlers, and do not market any brands themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willett Pot Still Reserve</span>

Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon is brand of a bourbon whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery. It is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey brand introduced in 2008 and bottled at 47% abv, with 8–10 year aging. It is sold in glass 750 ml and 1.75 liter bottles. The company is identified on the product label as the Willett Distilling Company, which was the original name of the company until its name was changed in 1984 to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd. (KBD). In October 2012, the company announced that it would return to using the Willett name as its primary business name. Recent bottlings are identified on the labels as a small batch bourbon, whereas it was originally released as a single barrel bourbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dingle Distillery</span> Irish whiskey distillery

Dingle Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery established in 2012 and billing itself as an 'artisan' distillery. The distillery is located in a converted sawmill in Milltown on the outskirts of Dingle, in a Gaeltacht in the southwest of Ireland. The first whiskeys distilled and matured at the distillery were released in late 2016. In addition to whiskey, the distillery also produces and markets Dingle vodka and Dingle Gin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattanooga Whiskey Company</span>

The Chattanooga Whiskey Company is a producer of bourbon whiskey and "Tennessee High Malt" bourbon whiskey, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The company was founded by Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter. The 1816 brand was launched in April 2012, and the company simultaneously announced its intention to help change local distilling laws. The launch met with some initial criticism, primarily due to where the product was made, but Hamilton County laws prohibited the manufacture of "intoxicating liquors" at the time. Local public awareness eventually became a catalyst in galvanizing support to change Prohibition-era distilling laws. In March 2015, the company opened the first legal distillery in Chattanooga since Prohibition. The first experimental whiskey, "Batch 001: Tennessee High Malt", was released in August 2017.

Master distiller is a title often used for a distilling expert or a key leader or owner at modern distilleries. The title doesn't have a fixed definition and can mean different things at different companies. Although the craft of distilling has existed for centuries throughout history, the term "master distiller" only dates back as far as the 1800s when it was first used to acknowledge the distilling expertise and knowledge a person gained after practicing and perfecting the craft of distilling for many years. In more recent usage, the term can have a much broader meaning and is sometimes used for owners and company leaders who run their companies but do not actively create the distilling recipes and processes used at their distilleries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of whisky</span> Outline of the knowledge of whisky

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:

References

  1. 1 2 "Glendronach Confusion (or What is a "Single Cask"?)". My Annoying Opinions. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  2. Helen Arthur (2002) [1997]. The single malt companion (in Dutch). Translated by Lisbeth Machielsen. Libero. p. 66. ISBN   9057642360.
  3. "The Family Casks - Glenfarclas". glenfarclas.com. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  4. "Blanton's Bourbon: The Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey". Blanton's Bourbon. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  5. Bourbon, Evan Williams. "Evan Williams Bourbon | Home". Evan Williams Bourbon. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  6. "Single Barrel Collection". Jack Daniel's. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  7. Leonard, Devin (December 23, 2014). "Jim Beam's New Single-Barrel Bourbon Is 95 Proof, and Kid Rock Likes It". BusinessWeek.com. BusinessWeek. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  8. Bourbon's Bistro Whiskey List Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine , Bourbon's Bistro. (Accessed January 2011)
  9. The newest Willett family estate Rye, StraightBourbon.com. (Access date January 2011).
  10. "Knob Creek – Single Barrel Reserve" . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  11. "Four Roses Bourbon Four Roses Single Barrel". fourrosesbourbon.com. Retrieved 2018-09-23.