Whisky Forum - Heavy on the sherry

Acksboy · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 7:30 pm Post subject: Heavy on the sherry

I know that on the peaty end of the scale you've got your Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig etc and then at the far extreme you've got Octomore. Likewise, the sherry end is occupied by Glendronach, Glenfarclas, Aberlour A'bunadh and the like, but is there a sherry equivalent Octomore?
I've been looking and can't seem to find anything which would make sense as you can only get so much sherry-influence from one cask, but thought I would put the question out there.
Oh... and answers of "just buy sherry" are not acceptable Razz

TheWM · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 7:55 pm Post subject:

Tangle Ridge 10. Canadian rye whisky blended with actual sherry.

I'm not sure what kind of bastardised whisk(e)y this makes, if a whisky at all, it but I had a bottle and really liked it.

Hard to find but currently available in a few places currently.

Do I get a prize if I win?! Laughing

opelfruit · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 8:07 pm Post subject:

Under Canadian regulations, distillers are allowed to add up to 9% of anything...that's right....anything....to their whisky, and it's still "whisky". So they can add sugar, flavouring, rum, sherry, hell, Jagermesiter if they wanted to.

In terms of extreme sherry whisky; yes, and you've listed them Laughing

anything that comes from 100% sherry cask, maybe even 100% first fill. I'd go as far as to say one of the Glendronach single cask PX bottlings. 100% PX maturation, cask strength. I've had one a few year back and it was basically like drinking sherry.
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"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

Acksboy · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 8:09 pm Post subject:

Just been having a read about Tangle Ridge. Wow. Indeed, I can't decide if it's the work of genius or madness. It's a very pragmatic approach to it anyway.
Was it on the same sherry scale of any other single malts you've tried?
A prize!? Yes! If you're ever in Elgin I have 9 bottles of Black Gold dark ale which I've been trying to shift for about 2 years. Literally every person that's passed over the threshold has been offered a bottle. Even infants. It's 6 months past its best but you sir have fought your way to the front of the queue. Congrats! Very Happy

CGRenn · Master Of Malts Joined: 09 Feb 2015 Posts: 684

Good Question!

I'm a bit of a massive sherrybomb fan and do go a bit out of my way too go looking for the strongest darkest Sherry Cask Whisky. I'm a bit odd, but that's what I like.

As to Octomore equivalent, I've found a few bombs. Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask are a bit amazing, I spilt a dram not so long ago on my carpet and the Sherry stained it. If you can get a good batch of Balvenie 15 Single Cask has the potential. Glenfarclas Family Casks are really good. Keep an eye out for Heavily Sherried bottles on WhiskyBroker.co.uk, there pretty fantastic buy sell out fast!

Ah! Not forgetting Darkness! Bottlings from Master of Malt, there are matured in small Sherry Casks not maximise flavour

Acksboy · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:47 pm Post subject:

Fascinating reading folks! Certainly plenty to look in to anyway.

I'm asking as I'm a major peat-head but don't want to give up on sherried malts yet until I've tried the heavy stuff. Tangle Ridge sounds like a good place to start!

TheWM · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 11:41 pm Post subject:

gfspencer · Double Malt Member Joined: 09 Jan 2016 Posts: 82

sorren · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 9:05 pm Post subject:

A few serious sherry bombs tat are just absolutely stunning are.,
1959 family cask from s Glenfarclas.. this is liquid gold !!
19yo Glenrothes from Claxtons
1979 Auchentoshan 32yo
1990 Glendronach batch 14
1992 Glendronach batch 14
These are just some of the ones that stand out !!

eelbrook · Master Of Malts Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 648

What about turning things on their head and 'beefing up' sherry with malt spirit. The Cotswolds Distillery has done this with "Spirited Sherry"

WinBase · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 4:37 pm Post subject: Sherry Bomb

Ihasadram · Double Malt Member Joined: 13 Aug 2014 Posts: 78

As a sherry bomb fan, but not an expert, I suggest checking out Tobermory 15 if you get the chance. If I understand correctly, the new owners went through a bunch of really old casks to put it together, so there's a lot of whiskey in there that is much older than 15 years. I've even read that some of it is more than 100 years old. Compared to aberlour and auchentoshan, I'd say it has a darker, richer flavor. As an analogy, I'd say it's like the difference between refined sugar and brown sugar. Unfortunately, it was a limited run and has become difficult to obtain. Recently, I read that it is going at auction for about $350 USD.

Ihasadram · Double Malt Member Joined: 13 Aug 2014 Posts: 78

Also, at the OP, I just want to make sure it's understood that Lagavulin is a sherrybomb. From the original post, it seems like the OP is saying it's a peated whiskey, and thus at the opposite end of a scale that has peat on one end and sherry on the other, but maybe I misunderstood.

Ihasadram · Double Malt Member Joined: 13 Aug 2014 Posts: 78

Also, at the OP, I just want to make sure it's understood that Lagavulin 16 is a sherrybomb. From the original post, it seems like the OP is saying it's a peated whiskey, and thus at the opposite end of a scale that has peat on one end and sherry on the other, but maybe I misunderstood.