WHISKY & BEER COME TOGETHER
by David Green, The Red Fox
This time of year, supermarket shelves are rammed
with bottles of spirits including whisky. Recent
research revealed that more than 60 per cent of
single malts are purchased as presents - therefore it is
no surprise that over the festive period sales soar.
Ultimately, with 4,500 different whiskies featured in Jim Murray’s
whisky bible where do you even begin to pick a whisky.
When I am choosing a whisky I look for something a little different,
a break away from the norm, and this month it was the famous
Speyside Distillery Glenfiddich, one of the biggest whisky brands in
the world, that really caught my eye when I saw ‘Glenfiddich IPA’.
My two loves ‘beer & whisky’ coming together, can this be true?
The story starts when Malt Master Brian Kinsman set out to prove
that traditional whisky casks could still be seasoned in a pioneering
way in the hope to ‘push the boundaries of Scotch whisky’ and to
play with flavours to see what he could create.
It’s actually very difficult to do new stuff with Scotch whisky, as it
is the most heavily regulated drink in the world. The experiment
resulted in the first single malt Scotch whisky ever finished in craft
IPA casks, but what does this mean?
Collaborating with a local Speyside craft brewer, Brian created a
bold and zesty IPA beer using British hops including the notorious
challenger hops, he then filled the beer into American oak casks
that had previously held Glenfiddich for around twelve years to
make the most of the delicate flavours already present.
These casks were then left outside allowing the beer to soak into
the casks, as well as allowing the beer to take on some of the whisky
and oak notes so that the IPA ultimately achieved the aroma of an
empty cask.
The beer was then bottled and the casks refilled with an aged
Glenfiddich for a few more months to allow it to mellow and to
pick up additional complexity.
The goal was not to create a whisky that tasted like a beer but to
create a whisky that had multiple layers that would otherwise be
unexpected from the Scottish single malt category and I really think
this malt delivers on that.
This malt is again proof that remarkable feats can be achieved when
great people get together. The result is a vibrant, rich golden and
fruity dram imbued with zesty citrus notes of ripe green apple,
complemented by the subtle tang of fresh hops followed by a long
lasting sweetness.
A great whisky as a gift or actually as a gift to yourself – Slàinte.
Available online at www.masterofmalt.com for £44.95 or also at
The Red Fox, Thornton Hough along with over 120 whiskies.
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