Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. Inbox features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Here is this week’s whisky news…
Jack Daniel’s
The famous American whiskey brand of Jack Daniel’s has launched its first ever single malt made from 100% malted barley.
This was ground, fermented and distilled in Lynchburg, Tennessee. It is the first ever whiskey from the distillery to feature a 100% malted barley mash bill and has been matured in charred new American oak barrels, before a finishing period in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.
Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt Whiskey is bottled at 45% ABV (90 Proof) and will be initially available in travel retail outlets worldwide. A one litre bottle will cost $US100. As part of the launch, the brand is hosting 40 activations in airports around the world which will see them offer 60,000 tasting samples.
“When we began experimenting with a 100% malted barley grain bill back in 2012, we knew it would be critical to put our own stamp on timeless single malt traditions and craft something that was uniquely Jack Daniel’s. We have achieved that and are excited for this release.”
Chris Fletcher | Master Distiller at Jack Daniel’s
Kilchoman
The Islay farm distillery of Kilchoman has released its first ever single malt to be fully matured in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.
The Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured has seen maturation for a minimum of five years in casks sourced from Bodega José y Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain. It is a vatting of 61 such casks and these have yielded 23,000 bottles. These will be available in selected specialist retailers worldwide. The Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured is bottled at 50% ABv and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. A bottle will cost £90.
“Some might consider five years to be a short maturation, but these PX hogsheads give such a rich and sweet character, that it is the only option to maintain a good balance of flavour.”
Anthony Wills | Founder of Kilchoman
Midleton
The premium Irish whiskey brand of Midleton Very Rare has released a new bottling, which is planned to be an annual release. The Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais is a fusion of Irish and French luxury and craftsmanship, and is the result of a collaboration that began in 2017.
This saw Kevin O’Gorman, the Master Distiller for Midleton, travel to France on a cask procurement project. O’Gorman discover the rare T5 cask, which is made from French oak grown in the legendary Forêt de Tronçais (‘Tronçais forest’ in English). This supplies some of the finest oak and is used by prestigious wine and Cognac makers. The casks were specially airdried and built for Midleton at the Taransaud cooperage in France from hand-selected Tronçais oak casks.
The blend features single grain and single pot still whiskeys from the 1980s to 2000s, which had matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks. These were then blended together and filled to the T5 Tronçais oak casks for a further three years of maturation. The Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais is bottled at 48% ABV and will be available in selected world markets including China, France, Ireland, the UK and the USA, plus travel retail. A bottle will cost €5,000/ $US5,000/ £4,400.
Timorous Beastie
The Highland blended malt brand of Timorous Beastie has revealed a new limited edition – the Timorous Beastie Meet The Beast.
As with all expressions of Timorous Beastie the whisky features only Highland single malts including some from Glengoyne, Glen Garioch and Blair Athol amongst others. These have been matured in ex-bourbon casks before being married together.
Timorous Beastie Meet The Beast is bottled at the natural cask strength of 54.3% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. The packaging features an ‘illusion design’ that only reveals its full detail when viewed through special glasses, which are contained in the presentation tube. It is available via specialist retailers worldwide and will cost £55/ €64 per bottle.
