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Post by Mynki on Sept 17, 2024 7:00:28 GMT -5
Any fans of Scotch on here? Today is an exciting day for me and a friend. Four years ago we discussed creating our own independent bottling company selling our own Scotch whisky expressions. We didn't really know what we were talking about at the time, but we've learned a hell of a lot about the industry since then. Today our 11 year old Royal Brackla hogshead (250 litre cask) we recently purchased arrived at a bottling hall just outside Edinburgh, Scotland. Next monday our 9 year old Ardmore hogshead we bought at the same time cask arrives with them. Recently four empty quarter casks (125 litre cask) arrived there too. These were purchased from a large cooperage in Speyside. The plan is to have the Royal Brackla whisky reracked into one Pedro Ximenez and one Oloroso sherry quarter cask where it will continue to age for between 9 and 12 months before being bottled to produce two separate 12 year old, cask strength (61% ABV) whiskies. The Ardmore will be reracked into one Pedro Ximinex ex sherry quarter cask and one ex Laphroaig quarter cask from Islay. Ardmore is the only peated Highland expression distilled in Scotland. So here we'll be producing sherried (Pedro Ximinez) version and one peated whisky given extra complexlty after spending 12 months in the ex Laphroaig cask. The fun bit, we've had a sample of the Royal Brackla drawn today. This has spent over 11 years in an ex bourbon hogshead. So we'll try this sample and then see how it tastes after spending 6 months in the quarter casks to see how the colour, aroma and taste develops. We've secured the services of a world famous whisky writer and global competition judge to provide feedback over the finishing process and he will sample regularly to discuss the sherry casks and their influence so they're bottled at the right time. He'll do the same with the Ardmore cask too. This is a journey I'm really looking forward to. Our first cask to hit the bottling hall.  Samples being drawn.  Quarter casks. These small casks will impart additional flavour and colour. Particularly the ex Pedro Ximinez sherry casks!  Anyone else like Scotch whisky? |
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Post by ferris1248 on Sept 17, 2024 7:27:04 GMT -5
I'm a bigger fan of Bourbon and whiskey but I keep a bottle Macallan 12 in the cabinet for my friends.
That's a fascinating deal you and your buddy have going on.
Once it's finished will y'all keep it for personal use or sell some of it off?
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Post by cadman on Sept 17, 2024 7:47:29 GMT -5
I have been known to drink Scotch in the past. It sounds like you have the beginnings of a future business development. Good luck to you. Let us know if you start selling any.
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Post by conchydong on Sept 17, 2024 8:04:33 GMT -5
I used to drink Scotch more often when I was married to my first wife as she was Scottish. I visited quite a few distilleries throughout the country. I drink Bourbon now for the most part but keep a handle of The Famous Grouse (cheap stuff) at home. BTW, Mynki, are you a Brit? I see you spell certain words in the British fashion.
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Post by ferris1248 on Sept 17, 2024 8:18:05 GMT -5
I used to drink Scotch more often when I was married to my first wife as she was Scottish. I visited quite a few distilleries throughout the country. I drink Bourbon now for the most part but keep a handle of The Famous Grouse (cheap stuff) at home. BTW, Mynki, are you a Brit? I see you spell certain words in the British fashion. I've also noticed his phrasing and spelling is a bit different. First couple of posts I thought about bots. |
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Post by Mynki on Sept 17, 2024 8:26:01 GMT -5
I'm a bigger fan of Bourbon and whiskey but I keep a bottle Macallan 12 in the cabinet for my friends. That's a fascinating deal you and your buddy have going on. Once it's finished will y'all keep it for personal use or sell some of it off? I like bourbon and whiskey too. The same friend introduced me to Michter's and Whistle Pig which I also enjoy. I particularly enjoy Michter's straight Rye whiskey. The bottles will be sold. We should produce around 600 at cask strength, so way too many for me to drink! Even if I really do like sherried whisky. |
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Post by Mynki on Sept 17, 2024 8:27:13 GMT -5
I have been known to drink Scotch in the past. It sounds like you have the beginnings of a future business development. Good luck to you. Let us know if you start selling any. We have a 'hobby' business already going selling casks of whisky. But too many of these cask investment people forget that whisky was distilled to be drunk. The bottling side of things should be fun.  |
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Post by Mynki on Sept 17, 2024 8:29:11 GMT -5
I used to drink Scotch more often when I was married to my first wife as she was Scottish. I visited quite a few distilleries throughout the country. I drink Bourbon now for the most part but keep a handle of The Famous Grouse (cheap stuff) at home. BTW, Mynki, are you a Brit? I see you spell certain words in the British fashion. I speak and write the kings English!   Whereabouts in Scotland is she from? |
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Post by conchydong on Sept 17, 2024 8:32:37 GMT -5
Ayrshire
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Post by Mynki on Sept 17, 2024 8:36:57 GMT -5
I know it very well. I've hunted deer there many times just outside Girvan and visited the Ayr gold cup festival many times. |
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Post by madm002 on Sept 17, 2024 8:44:29 GMT -5
This is very intersting to me. We like scotch and consume a fair amount. Please keep us updated on your progress would love to try some.
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Post by mindyabiness on Sept 17, 2024 13:50:09 GMT -5
I have heard that the peated highland expression is particularly good for removing love bugs from a chrome bumper, although I have no direct experience with this...can you confirm?
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Post by Stumpy on Sept 17, 2024 17:10:02 GMT -5
I have heard that the peated highland expression is particularly good for removing love bugs from a chrome bumper, although I have no direct experience with this...can you confirm? Blasphemy!! Scotch is the one true Whisky. To truly enjoy, one must sit next to a wood fire and drink in the rich flavor of the earth, wind and fire of the Whisky. |
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Post by conchydong on Sept 17, 2024 17:25:21 GMT -5
Ya diddly don’t a know.
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Post by louis357mag on Sept 17, 2024 17:58:10 GMT -5
I've been known to sip a little scotch from time to time. It is my go to for a one drink sipping by the campfire. If I really want to drink to feel it rather than just savor I break out the bourbon.
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Post by Mynki on Sept 18, 2024 4:03:36 GMT -5
I have heard that the peated highland expression is particularly good for removing love bugs from a chrome bumper, although I have no direct experience with this...can you confirm? It will be bottled at about 55% abv so it should do! You should try a dram. It will put hairs on your chest as they say in Scotland! |
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Post by Mynki on Sept 27, 2024 11:15:35 GMT -5
Well my Ardmore hogshead has made it to the bottling hall from the distillery. Paperwork all done so they can both be reracked into the new quarter casks next week.   Sample drawn for reference. I'm looking forward to trying that.  |
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Post by ferris1248 on Sept 27, 2024 11:18:51 GMT -5
Lighter color than I expected.
When you try it, will you cut it or taste it uncut? Or both?
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Post by tonyroma on Sept 27, 2024 11:23:46 GMT -5
Uncles a scotch guy, told me you need a bit of water to pull out the flavor.
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Post by Mynki on Sept 27, 2024 12:10:37 GMT -5
Lighter color than I expected. When you try it, will you cut it or taste it uncut? Or both? It's a light colour as it's spent all of its life in an ex bourbon hogshead. Half will go into an ex Laphroaig (Islay Scotch distillery peated expression) quarter cask. So I don't think the colour will change much. The other half will go into an ex Pedro Ximinez quarter cask and this will develop a much deeper colour. We'll sample it neat as is at cask strength. We'll then add a drop of water to see how the flavour develops. Then six months from now we'll start sampling again to see what effect the new wood has had on it. In theory the ex laphroaig cask should add a more complex peated taste. The PX cask should add sweet notes, dried fruit flavours like raising and fig etc and a little dark chocolate. These are new quarter casks and many people claim the second use adds the best flavour, so we shall see. |
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Post by Mynki on Sept 27, 2024 12:13:02 GMT -5
Uncles a scotch guy, told me you need a bit of water to pull out the flavor. He's right. Just a few drops of water can really open up the flavour profile. Not only that, with cask strength Scotch it can make it more palatable. You remove the 'burn' if it's 55% to 60% ABV etc. But ultimately it's personal taste. Just don't add ice It's numbs the aroma and flavour! |
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Post by One Man Gang on Sept 27, 2024 12:15:50 GMT -5
You guys are true connoisseurs. I'll hafta take a hard pass.
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Post by ferris1248 on Sept 27, 2024 12:25:05 GMT -5
So let's say a 2 finger pour. You'd only add a few drops?
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Post by madm002 on Sept 27, 2024 15:24:07 GMT -5
and no ice!
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Post by Mynki on Sept 28, 2024 9:13:05 GMT -5
So let's say a 2 finger pour. You'd only add a few drops? If it's a Scotch that has already been watered down to 40% ABV (The legal minimum to be called Scotch whisky) then I'd drink it as is. If it's natural cask strength Scotch which could easily be 50% to 60% ABV then I'd start by adding just a few drops, give it time to open up and then try it. You may wish to add a few more drops. The important thing to understand is that it should be drunk however YOU want it. Just don't add ice... You really will take away the aroma and flavours that the distillers and bottlers have worked really hard to achieve. Also, try different single malt Scotch whiskies from the different Scottish regions. The Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown etc. And don't be afraid to try old single grain Scotch whisky. Lots of people look down their noses at grain thinking it's an inferior product as it's used as 'filler' in blended Scotch whisky. In reality, it just takes a lot longer to mature. Think 25 years plus! It's always amusing to give a self proclaimed whisky snob an aged grain whisky and watch their face when they learn it's not a single malt. |
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Post by olmucky on Sept 28, 2024 11:58:48 GMT -5
Very cool! Hope it turns out badass!
I tried the scotch thing for a while. Wasn’t bad. Went back to tequila.
My neighbor had a bottle of this high-end stuff. He raved about it.
He hosted a Christmas thing one year and pulled 3 of us aside to give it a go. Talked about the complexity, the hints of this and that.
It tasted like the smell you get when you pull your rubber boot out of the swamp mud. It just wasn’t my thing.
But his pallet was really drawn to it.
It’s how folks are. Some like Natti light others MGD.
Jack Daniels/Jim beam. Etc
Keep us posted
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Post by One Man Gang on Sept 29, 2024 9:43:12 GMT -5
A little off topic, and no disrespect, but, in my personal opinion, high end booze ain't all it's cracked up to be. You can undoubtedly drink a lot better for a lot less $ in almost every instance.
Most of the time I was drinking expensive shit, it was to brag.
As I've aged and wizened up, I no longer give a shit about pretty much anything.
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Post by tonyroma on Sept 29, 2024 9:53:00 GMT -5
After number 5 or 6 they all taste the same.
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Post by Mynki on Sept 29, 2024 11:21:00 GMT -5
A little off topic, and no disrespect, but, in my personal opinion, high end booze ain't all it's cracked up to be. You can undoubtedly drink a lot better for a lot less $ in almost every instance. Most of the time I was drinking expensive shit, it was to brag. As I've aged and wizened up, I no longer give a shit about pretty much anything. I agree. More than you can possibly imagine. And that's a big reason why we decided to go with our project. I find it amusing when people talk about Johnny Walker Blue and Macallan as if it's some god like nectar. I recently attended a whisky / whiskey show in London which had over 1,000 whiskies to try. And try a lot we did! When we got to the Macallan stage we tried their world famous 18 year old sherry cask which runs at about £375 ($480) a bottle. It was pretty terrible compared to other whiskies which cost a fraction of the price... You don't actually need to spend a lot to find a great whisky at all It's a similar story with wine too. |
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Post by One Man Gang on Sept 29, 2024 11:26:44 GMT -5
After number 5 or 6 they all taste the same. Reminds me of the time I did a solo pre game wine tasting once. Bought 5 bottles, tried the first, terrible. Second was slightly better. The third was good. Fourth was OK. Fifth was nasty. So... I proceeded to drink them in the following order; 3,4,2,1,5. By the time I got to the 4th and 5th bottles, they were all "decent". |
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