More heresy
You have probably heard, or at least noticed by now, that the Society is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It’s a momentous occasion, but also a time to take a step back and not just look at the distant past, but at what has been achieved in recent years as well.
WORDS: JULIEN WILLIAMS
In February, I explained how being a maverick sometimes means breaking your own rules – not for the sake of it, but to achieve something that was seemingly beyond the pale.
It’s not always about the destination, it’s also about the journey and the fun you can have along the way. We should therefore keep tabs on the Society’s small-batch releases, if for nothing else for the fact they are the most controversial thing the Society has ever done – whisky-wise, at least.
It’s been nearly two years since we delved into the thinking behind the project we informally called ‘Heresy’. To catch up on the first 12 releases of the small-batch series, head on to the first part of the story for a refresher. But now, let’s pick up where we left off…
ABOVE: our first bottling from the ‘Heresy’ series, Exotic Cargo
Batch #13
Tabanco Time
Category: Blended Malt Whisky Casks used: Butts & hogsheads oloroso & Pedro Ximénez Age: 11 years
As you have probably guessed, this whisky used components that are the descendants of the casks used for the very first small-batch release, Exotic Cargo. What this means is that it has a wide range of influences in both sherry and oak type, with maturation vessel size varied to say the least. As SMWS head of whisky creation Euan Campbell explained in his description: “It saw the addition of whiskies from both Speyside and Highland regions and the cask make-up included a mixture of quarter casks, hogsheads and butts, all seasoned with PX or oloroso sherries. Don’t forget that there’s Spanish and American oak too!”
Curiosity Corner: It’s a delicious dram, for those wanting a sherry and oak heavy hitter. But don’t just take my word for it. Tabanco Time won a Double Gold medal at the SFWSC awards in 2022.
Batch #14
Douro Cruise
Category: Blended Malt Whisky Casks used: 1st fill pipes & 2nd fill barrels port & bourbon Age: 10 years
Back when this batch was released, Euan explained: “We've drawn together selected casks of Speyside single malt, some matured full term in bourbon barrels and some additionally matured in ex-ruby port pipes for no less than two years.” This is the first introduction of non-sherry fortified wine to the small-batch series. Flavour-wise, it was aiming at exploring the red fruit, nutty and berries influence from the port with a fair bit of support from the American oak to maintain a balanced profile, also exhibiting vanilla, toffee and exotic fruits. This lands somewhere between Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits, Spicy & Sweet and Sweet, Fruity & Mellow.
Curiosity Corner: This was the first introduction of non-sherry fortified wine casks to the series. Wine casks in general can be delicate to work with, but when things turn out for the best, it is well worth your time.
Batch #15
Smokus Fruticosus
Category: Blended Malt Whisky Casks used: Barrels, butts & hogsheads bourbon, Pedro Ximénez & oloroso Age: 10 years
This batch was elaborated with whiskies from both Islay and Orkney, both islands well known for their peated whiskies (though they do know their way around unpeated malt too!) Euan described the whisky as follows: “We made use of bourbon barrels and hogsheads, as well as Spanish and American oak sherry hogsheads, which were seasoned with oloroso & Pedro Ximénez wines. The resulting whisky is sweet, rich & intensely smoky, as the medicinal character of Islay peat marries with the floral & earthy smoke of the Orkney isles.” Something of a peat hybrid that was as generous with sherried flavours as it was robust in its smoky flavours.
Curiosity Corner: Batch #15 Smokus fruticosus is a cousin to Batch #11 Tar Pit, using some elements of Tar Pit, which in turn also used some elements of Batch #8 Battle Axe.
Batch #16
Full Bloom
Category: Single Malt Whisky Casks used: 1st fill barrels & barriques bourbon & Australian muscat Age: 18 years
This top notch single malt whisky was created with the help of our friends and Australian vintage wine barrel specialists at Nebb Whisky Barrels. I was explaining above that wine maturations bring their share of difficulties and variability, but when the ingredients are right, it can be wonderful. So after 16 years in first fill bourbon barrels, this Speyside single malt was transferred into some wonderfully fragrant barriques that had been filled with heady muscat. Australian muscat is a fortified wine aged in casks that, in this case, had slumbered for 20 years in a family-run winery in New South Wales.
Curiosity Corner: This is not just the first small-batch release making use of non-European fortified wine, it is also the first in the high teens in terms of age.
Batch #17
Fruit Utopia
Category: Single Malt Whisky Casks used: Hogsheads, barrels & barriques bourbon & French oak Age: 25 years
This is the first Heresy release matured over 18 years and the elder of the series to date. To create this batch, Euan and Kai Ivalo, spirits director at the Society, made good use of maturation techniques gathered while visiting the Cognac region. This required “a more hands on approach, shaping the flavours through cask management and constant monitoring of the maturation,” explains Euan. “At 20 years of age, we combined selected bourbon hogsheads of Speyside single malt and filled the whisky back into custom toasted French oak barriques from Seguin Moreau cooperage. Following three months of intense maturation in these highly active casks, we combined the spirit again and filled into 2nd fill bourbon barrels, just freshly emptied of Speyside malts. The whisky was closely monitored every six months for a further five years to develop a silk-like texture and wonderful layers of fruity complexity.”
Curiosity Corner: Batch 17 is only the second small-batch release that relies on different shades of oak, rather than previous content of the casks to create its flavour profile, beyond the ubiquitous and trustworthy bourbon barrel.
Batch #18
Marmalade Overdrive
Category: Blended Malt Whisky Casks used: 1st fill barrels & hogsheads bourbon & shiraz Age: 14 years
It’s the second chapter of our work alongside the experts from Nebb Whisky Barrels, this time offering us Australian shiraz barrels. Red wine barrels are notoriously temperamental for maturing whisky, and require much monitoring and often, a bit of luck, but these ones turned out to be a resounding success. As Euan explains: “We identified suitable whiskies to fill into the casks. We opted for some 11-year old first fill bourbon-matured Speyside whiskies. They were left to slumber for around three years before being blended to create this unique whisky.”
Curiosity Corner: It’s the first time non-fortified wine casks were used to produce a small-batch product. Quite a foodie dram too, try it alongside a nice piece of pan-seared venison or with a chocolate-pecan brownie or pumpkin pie.
Batch #19
Frazzle Dazzle
Category: Blended Malt Whisky Casks used: 1st fill hogsheads Tempest smoked barley wine Age: 13 years
Another collaboration, this time with our friends at Tempest Brewery in the Scottish Borders. And since this is the ‘Heresy’ range, there was a need to push the boundaries a bit. This time, as Euan explains: “We commissioned Speyside Cooperage to create some new American oak hogsheads, with a heavy toast and a medium char. These hogsheads were then sent to Tempest, where they were filled with an off-the-wall smoked barley wine (think 12.5% abv smoked stout!) After five months, the beer was bottled and the casks were filled with selected unpeated Speyside malts. These whiskies underwent a period of additional maturation for just under three years, before being blended together to create this unique whisky.” Off-the-wall flavours, pushing boundaries…mission accomplished.
Curiosity Corner: If you look at this from the whisky raw ingredients and materials perspective, this experiment was meant to stretch the oak and barley combination to the limit. Which it brilliantly did, challenging standards and flavour profiles as well as our members’ palates in the process.
Batch #20
Whisky Baba
Category: Blended Malt Whisky Casks used: Refill hogsheads & 1st fill barriques bourbon & French oak Jamaican rum Age: 12 years
Last but not least, Batch #20 Whisky Baba lets us finish off with an intensely fruity sweet treat. This blended malts relies on unusual casks. The French do have a rum tradition, producing the only strictly and precisely legally defined and classified rum out there: rhum agricole. And yet, no rhum agricole here…these barriques were crafted from French oak, yes. But they had previously been used to mature Jamaican rum in the Cognac region of France. (You may ask why or how this happened, but I’m afraid a straight answer is well beyond what my sphere of influence will allow me to obtain). These barriques were then filled with a selection of Speyside malts for a period of 28 months of additional maturation. We then blended selected casks together to create this dram.
Curiosity Corner: Batch #20 showcases the first rum barrels used in our small-batch series with the additional touch of French oak. And let’s finish this list where we started, but a year or so later, with Whisky Baba winning a Double Gold medal in the 2023 SFWSC.
What’s next, you ask? More sherry influence in the near future? More experiments with oak heat treatments or with unexpected, weird and wonderful casks? Who knows?
All I can promise you is that there is a lot more to come and that there are fun and flavoursome days ahead. Hopefully we can catch up again in a year or two and have a look at what has been added to this fun, rich and complex series.
I for one will keep looking for these rare side-steps around the Society’s single malt, single cask whiskies with great interest. These ‘Heresy’ batches are fun, yes, but for a club like the Society, they are also unique glimpses into the road not taken.
Keep an eye on our website for availability of our small-batch blends…but you have to be quick!
