With fall underway, there is no better time to embrace our love for whisky, or perhaps rediscover it all over again. But with so many whisky options to choose from, where should you begin? Here are three Society whiskies, currently available to USA members, that shouldn’t be missed.
Cask 30.108 A Taste of Home
If you enjoy a deep and rich, sherry-cask-matured whisky, this one is for you! Matured for 12 years in a refill Oloroso sherry butt and bottled at a whopping 64.3% ABV making it very pure, Cask 30.108 A Taste of Home is the definition of the term “sherry bomb” so popular among whisky lovers. An explosive array of autumnal spices; ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon sticks are married with dark maraschino cherries, figgy pudding and marzipan. It’s an intense flavour experience that will carry you through the fall and into the depths of winter. Come to think of it, this may just be the most thrilling sherry-matured whisky I’ve enjoyed this year.
Cask 26.167 A barrel of beeswax
What a delight this one is. A relatively young cask from a Highland distillery that’s quickly becoming a fan favorite among whisky lovers, Cask 26.167 A barrel of beeswax has so much to offer for a whisky aged just 8 years. This thick and waxy spirit delivers a symphony of warm notes such as jasmine tea leaves, wood oils and toffee apples. A dash of water subdues the monstrous delivery and unlocks new flavours of fresh pineapple, strawberry cake and dried ginger. A dram of this wonderful whisky could certainly liven the mood on a chilly, fall afternoon and evening.
Cask 66.193 An engine starter for cold mornings
As much as I enjoy a heavily peated island malt, in recent years I’ve also found myself appreciating the gentler, lightly peated whiskies from the Highlands. Balance is the name of the game with this unique style of Scotch, with a beautiful profile of charred oak dipped in honey, vanilla icing over burning heather, fresh lemon rind and a gentle plume of wood smoke. The thick and oily nature of the spirit makes for an everlasting finish, which is a major bonus when the flavour is this spectacular. If you’re just getting into peated whisky for the first time, this is a perfect bottle to start. Or, if you are already a peated whisky lover, this is a perfect bottle to carry on your peated journey.
Slàinte mhath!
Ben Diedrich