The Glenlivet Innis & Gunn 9 Year Old Beer Cask Finish Edition
Whether you’re relaxing, celebrating, socialising with friends, or simply in the mood for a drink, there’s nothing finer than a wee dram of your favourite whisky.
Whisky, particularly Speyside single malt, is packed full of fruity and peaty notes, which Scotch drinkers simply can’t seem to get enough of. This is partly why great drams (see what we did there?) such as those offered by The Glenlivet, are so hugely popular not only in the UK, but globally too.
Want to know another drink that we can’t get enough of here in the UK? Beer! While beer and whisky may sound like a recipe for the perfect hangover, if you take the characteristics of a fine ale and infuse them into a Speyside single malt, you have all the makings for something very special indeed.
This is precisely what The Glenlivet have done with their Innis & Gunn 9 Year Old Beer Cask Finish Edition.
A Piece of Scottish History
The Glenlivet Distillery is not just your typical whisky distillery, it is a piece of Scottish history.
Located in picturesque Moray, Scotland, not far from the small village of Ballindalloch, along the banks of the River Spey, you will find Scotland’s oldest legal distillery.
Founded nearly two centuries ago, back in 1824, The Glenlivet Distillery has remained active virtually continuously since it first opened its doors. The distillery’s only downtime came briefly during the Second World War. Since it re-opened, it has grown in popularity, with its popularity stretching far beyond the British Isles.
In fact, The Glenlivet brand is the most popular brand of malt whisky sold in the USA, and is the second most popular brand of single malt enjoyed globally, second only to Glenfiddich.
Each year, the distillery produces close to 6,000,000 litres of spirit, with the distillery using primarily ex-bourbon and French oak casks.
The Glenlivet Distillery Reserve Collection: 9 Year Old Beer Cask Finish Edition
One of the best things about whisky, is the fact that it allows producers to get creative and try new things when it comes to aging and maturing. Take two whiskies of the same batch from the same oak cask, and place one batch into an ex-sherry cask and another into an ex-bourbon cask for five years, and the end result will be two whiskies which look, smell, feel, and taste completely different to one another.
In the highly intricate world of whisky production, the casks used for aging your whisky can make all the difference. While ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and port casks are commonly used, producers do sometimes get a little creative and try new things. The Glenlivet have most certainly done that, teaming up with Edinburgh craft brewers, Innis & Gunn to create their very first whisky finished in a beer cask.
Taking their renowned single-malt whisky, The Glenlivet team, led by distillery manager Lisa Glen and cask expert Kevin Balmforth, have finished their whisky in an old Innis & Gunn beer cask which was previously used to store their Imperial Stout ‘Vanishing Point’. This 11% stout, which was a limited-edition release, was a silky smooth and dark brew, offering notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and malted grains, and was deemed perfect for the whisky produced by The Glenlivet team.
Tasting Notes
With only 216 bottles of this exceptional whisky being released at cask strength, you know you’re in the presence of something very special.
At 57.8% ABV, if you love the characteristics associated with a fine Scotch, you’re going to love this wee delight.
The whisky has taken on a stunning golden copper colour in the beer casks, yet it is not as dark as one might expect from a cask used to store stout. The ruby red influence of the stout however, is definitely apparent.
On the nose, this light and aromatic whisky offers aromas of golden syrup biscuits, black treacle, morello cherries, and tropical mangos and pineapple. Another whiff will reward your nose with notes of creamy honeycomb, golden nougat, ginger nut biscuits.
On the palate you should get plenty of sweet and spicy flavours. The predominant flavours evoke a taste of Christmas, with winter spices such as cinnamon, candied ginger, cloves, and nutmeg shining through, coupled with fresh orange juice and ripe winter berries. Another sip and you should detect the hoppy influence from the stout, before it gives way to smooth and creamy malt notes like those you’d get from a milky mug of warm Horlicks before bed. There are also hints of treacle tart lingering in the background.
The finish is not as drawn out as you might expect, but is spicy and warming, offering notes of buttery mince pies, fresh orange zest, a hint of oak, and the tiniest sprinkling of dark chocolate notes from the stout.
If you’re looking for unique, award-winning, limited-edition, and just downright delicious Scotch, you’ve come to the right place. Here at GreatDrams.com we offer a wide range of delicious whiskies, primarily Scotch, which cater for all palates, all preferences, all budgets, and ones which you won’t find at your local supermarket.
Whether you’re looking for a sweet and fruity tipple, a lightly smoked dram, a heavily peated whisky that really warms on the way down, a unique blended Scotch, or a limited-edition, uniquely aged whisky such as this one, we’ve got something for everybody.
Don’t take our word for it, though, take a look around our site and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Greg
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