Glenfiddich Gets Experimental with India Pale Ale Cask Finish

By Lee Heidel January 21, 2017

By finishing a single malt Scotch whisky in IPA craft beer casks, Glenfiddich creates new flavors

Glenfiddich India Pale Ale Cask Finish is the first Scotch whisky in the storied brand’s Experimental Series. This new line promises to push the boundaries of what tasters expect from Scotch by using different techniques and methods to forge new flavor combinations.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Part of that mandate to create, expand and enrich involves working with artisans outside of the traditional world of whisky. For India Pale Ale Cask Finish, Glenfiddich teamed with a local craft brewer who created a unique India Pale Ale (IPA) for the project. Full of bright citrus hops, the IPA notes were designed to complement the whisky’s ingredients. That beer was then added to oak whisky casks for an aging period. After removal, the Scotch was added to the emptied, seasoned cask for the finishing process.

After an exhaustive course of trial and error, Glenfiddich came up with its ideal ratio of source beer and aging times that brings us India Pale Ale Cask Finish.

The end product leaves us with a 43% alcohol-by-volume sipper that serves well over an ice ball, with sitting time to allow the drink to slowly wear away at the cube. The nose is soft with pear and floral notes and just the right amount of dry vanilla imparted from the oak. The taste is as bright as the nose would imply, with a tight hit of citrus and pine. That fades into a tang between sweet marshmallow and bitter grass. The lingering finish draws out those last contrasting flavors and provides enough essence for contemplation as well as anticipation of the next sip. The alcohol burn is warming without being acidic, creating an exquisite overall experience.

Glenfiddich India Pale Ale Cask Finish is available now at whisky retailers throughout the United States.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Liquor, Beer, and Wine

Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…

Food & Drink

Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale for Trails Aims to Clean Up America’s Trail Systems

pale ale for trails sierra nevada initiative feat

Sierra Nevada Brewing is all about its community and nature, which is why the California brewery is launching Pale Ale for Trails.

The program is meant to help conserve “America’s underfunded trail and river systems” while also paying homage to the iconic labels of the near-ubiquitous Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that helped build the craft beer industry into what it is today.

Food & Drink

We know the most popular cocktails — Try these underrated drinks instead

Try some alternatives to the most popular cocktails

Cocktails

Recently, we wrote an article about the 10 most popular cocktails in the US. Not surprisingly, it was littered with classic drinks like the Mojito, Margarita, Old Fashioned, and Moscow Mule. But drinking cocktails isn’t a popularity contest. Just because many people seem to enjoy Espresso Martinis doesn’t mean you have to stop drinking your classic Dirty Martini.

But, if you take a moment to peruse the list of the 10 most popular drinks, you might see a few you like and others you aren’t sure about. That’s okay. Lucky for you, we’re here to help. That’s why today we’re all about the underdogs.

Food & Drink

How to start your own home bar: the tools and mixers

the best home bar glassware version 1612854960 for your 2021

So you're building up your home bar. You've got the essential spirits in. You've added a selection of liqueurs and bitters to combine them with. Now, it's time to add the finishing touches. From mixers to tools to glasswear, we're rounding up everything else you'll need to turn a corner of your kitchen into a great home bar.
Speaking of the kitchen – this is, in my experience, the absolute best place for a home bar. While I love a good bar cart for a living room (or even an office, if you have that kind of job!) these are really more decorative than a practical place to mix drinks. The problem with using bar carts for serious cocktail making is twofold: One, the surfaces are usually too low, at below hip height, so you'll be bending over uncomfortably while you try to make your drinks. That's not chic, and it's hard on your back too. Instead you want something that's counter level, hence opting for the kitchen. The second issue is access to ice and a sink. Mixing serious cocktails requires a large amount of ice and frequent washing of glasses and tools. Sure, you can get an attractive ice bucket for your bar cart, and that certainly makes a fun decorative accessory. But you'll still be running back and forth to the kitchen to use the sink all the time anyway.
If you love the style of a bar cart, I certainly wouldn't want to stop you having one. They are great fun, and stylish to boot. I have a bar cart myself in my living room, which I love and use for very simple mixed drinks like negronis (though even then, you still have to go and fetch ice every time you want a drink). It's a great place for occasional special bottles, particularly beautiful glasswear, cocktail books, and other decorative accessories.
But for serious cocktail making, you want an area of clear counter space, near to a sink and to a freezer full of ice, and with easy access to all your bottles and tools. I find a small kitchen island perfect for this purpose, tucked into a corner of the kitchen near the appliances. Store bottles and equipment on the lower shelves of the island or on wall-mounted shelves to save space, and make sure you have a lamp or decent overhead lighting so you can see what you're doing while you mix. You'll want a small chopping board as well for slicing citrus and other fruit, and a small, sharp knife that you can borrow from your kitchen equipment.
Then it's time to turn your attention to home bar tools.

Essential home bar tools