Flagship Whiskey Batch 6
I feel like we have been pretty good about letting everyone know that the intent of the flagship releases was to have a whiskey that was consistent and on theme in our “house style”, but that they would not be identical. Well. This release will be an outlier, but also an incredible example of what Amalga Distillery is as a small whiskey producer. We get to be a bit creative and nimble, and for Batch 6 we took advantage of that.
If you have read our past tasting notes, you know that we have a thing for Cognac casks for finishing our whiskies. By finishing, we mean that we age the whiskey first on new American oak, and then transfer it to Cognac casks to age for just a little bit to mingle the whiskey and impart some of the Cognac characteristics. So. For Batch 6, we tried something a bit different and finished whiskey (that had previously aged for two or two and a half years) in a rum cask. And, well. It came out awesome. Like - really really really happy with it.
Some thoughts/notes. This is like…ummmm. Banana fosters with chocolate chips. Took the banana fosters part from Jon, but - he wasn’t wrong. Thx, Jon. It is sweet, but never cloying. Just pleasantly so. Like, a nice pour to have with some ice cream. Or, use it to make banana fosters…now there’s a thought. It is a dessert whiskey. A nice evening pour. A treat on a Friday night. Or - if you are a degenerate who sometimes has an irish coffee going out to play in the snow (there is snow somewhere still, right!?), this would work well for that. It also still makes a great highball, giving nice subtle cola flavors. While I have yet to try it, I do believe that with a couple of nice cocktail cherries (which we do currently have in stock…) it could be more of a cherry cola vibe. Like - a high ball (whiskey, soda water, squeeze of a bit of lemon) but with some syrupy dark cocktail cherries. Yes. Please. Also - as per usual - this whiskey is particularly comfortable in Manhattans and Old Fashioneds. It just has more body and presence than your typical single malt, so it can hold up well in cocktails that typically utilize bourbon or rye.
On a side note, we recently tried a single malt whiskey from a large Scottish producer that was made specifically for making cocktails. And, it kinda tastes like…well. A lower proof version of our whiskey. But - cool to see that our vision for single malt wasn’t all that wonky…or something along those lines.
A few closing thoughts. This particular whiskey just works well for the winter, and so it will probably go into the rotation as a regular winter release. Not as anything special; it is just the flagship. But, it is flagship release that is a little warmer and fitting for the season. Bottled again at 50% ABV, but not seeming 50% ABV. Sip it neat, add a bit of water, pour it over ice, use it in a cocktail. Do whatever you’d like with it. We made it to be versatile, so enjoy whatever way suits you.