First-fill or refill-filled bourbon barrels made of American white oak are the most common type of maturated barrels in malt whisky. However, whisky that is 100% aged in bourbon barrels is uncommon and is often mixed with sherry or other oak barrels to create a more balanced whisky.
The Laphroaig distillery on is said to have been the first distillery to use bourbon barrels, dating back to 1923. Most Scottish wineries only began to use Bourbon barrels in the mid-1940s. Legislation in the 1920s and 1930s by the US Cooper's Union made bourbons available only in brand new oak barrels, causing American distilleries to overflow large numbers of bourbon barrels, making it the largest source of Scotch whisky barrel aging.
Meg-Bourbon barrel
Typical aromas after bourbon barrels are matured to include caramel, cream candy, honey, vanilla, coconut, almonds and ginger. Many wineries also re-roast or burn bourbon barrels to produce more flavor.
Below, I would like to recommend 10 single malt whiskies that have been 100% bourbon barrels.
1. Glencadam 10 Years Old
ABV: 46% ABV, Origin: Scottish Highlands, International Price: $47
Released in 2008, the wine is 100% ripened in premium bourbon barrels, delicately balanced, mellow, full-bodied, with a spring-like vanilla flavour and a unique smoky taste, with a round, mellow, sweet, long, sweet aftertaste, accompanied by the smoothness of dried sydney pears. He scored 95 points in the 2019 Whisky Bible and 98 points in the 2019 International Wine and Spirits Challenge (IWSC).
Grundon is a grossly underrated distillery, and Dave Broom, author of The World's Whisky Map, once said, "This is a distillery I really like, and I think it's definitely undervalued." The distillery started in 1825, but it wasn't until 2005 that it released its first single malt whisky, Glencadam 15 Years Old. The distillery has maintained a pair of stills since its inception, and has not changed the shape of the stills for nearly 200 years, especially the ryan arm angle of the distillers is 15 degrees upwards, creating a more unique and delicate flavor, which will produce sweet and fruity flavors after aging.
2. Glenmorangie 10 YO
ABV: 40% ABV, Origin: Scottish Highlands, International Price: $43
Aged 100% in North American white oak bourbon barrels, the wine blends signature floral notes, sweet aromas of citrus, vanilla and almond, as well as delicate spicy flavours. Winner of the Gold Medal at the 2018 San Francisco International Spirits Competition.
Founded in 1843, the Granger Distillery has been proud of its excellent quality and has been highly regarded since its inception. Its source of water comes from the springs of Tarlogie Spring, which has been buried underground for hundreds of years, and the tallest distiller in Scotland guarantees the pure and meticulous taste of its whiskies and preserves the original taste of malt to the greatest extent. In addition, Granger is the world's whisky barrel management expert and pioneer, all barrels, the distillery insists on using only 2 times and then discarded, in order to ensure the stability of wine quality and aroma.
Edradour 11 Year Old 2006 (3rd Release)
Aacity: 59.2% ABV, Origin: Scottish Highlands, International Price: $92
Distilled in March 2006 and bottled in June 2017, the wine is aged only in Bourbon barrels and bottled at barrel strength. Smelling like entering a chocolate shop, with the scent of cocoa beans and whipped cream, and a hint of oak. The creamy flavor is intense, with layers of toffee and melted chocolate, as well as a hint of spicy pepper. The aftertaste is chewy barley and sweet popcorn, as well as some cloves.
Founded in 1825, the Edrador Distillery is the smallest single malt whisky distillery in Scotland and the world, with only 3 people in the distillery and insisting on pure hand-made production. The distillery's equipment has not changed since the day it was founded, and the annual production of 96,000 liters of whiskey is all bottled in single malt whiskies, in small quantities.
4. Glenkinchie 12 YO
Alc. by vol: 43% ABV, Origin: Scotland Lowlands, International Price: $76
100% aged in bourbon barrels, it is a light, savory, floral whisky with citrus and creamy flavours and is often described as a "breakfast whisky".
Founded in 1825, the Gran Quinche Distillery is located in the low scottish region of England and is often referred to as "The Edinburgh Malt" due to its proximity to Edinburgh. The whiskies are aromatic and light, making them ideal as an aperitif.
5. The Glenlivet 12 YO First Fill
Alcohol: 40% ABV, Origin: Spencer, Scotland, International Price: $51
Aged for 12 years in 100% first-poured Bourbon barrels, the wine is rich in toffee, wood, black pepper, with hints of herbs and flowers, soft in taste with notes of fresh grains, oranges, nougat and baked bread, with a hint of green pepper, and medium-sized with grainy notes.
Founded in 1924, Glenwitz was the first legally licensed Scotch whisky distillery and one of the first to export whisky and achieve great success.
The Balvenie 15 YO Single Barrel Ex-Bourbon Cask
ABV: 47.8% ABV, origin: Spencer, Scotland, international price: 94.4 euros
Distilled on February 24, 1999, bottled on December 12, 2014, barrel number 3860, Bourbon barrel, limited to 350 bottles, with obvious honey, vanilla aromas, accompanied by pear, cream, caramel, smoked oak aromas, smooth and soft entrance, creamy feeling, slightly sweet taste, with malt white chocolate flavor and citrus flavor, long aftertaste with a little spicy.
Founded in 1892, Pax Fu has its own farm, which grows traditional Scottish barley on 1,000 acres of land, and the winery also retains the traditional floor-to-floor wheating process. The whiskies produced by the distillery all have a sweet taste of honey and vanilla, which allows it to combine the flavors of different barrels very well. The combination of fruit honey and vanilla aromas makes The Brix Brewery a typical Speyssy distillery.
7. Caol Ila 18 YO
ALC: 43% ABV, Origin: Islay, Scotland, International Price: $132
The wine is delicate and exquisite, perfectly showing the ultimate balance of smoke and peat, reminiscent of a splendid campfire on the beach, sweet with a little sour, like an unforgettable first love of 18 years old. As an Island of Islay wine, but the peat taste is not light, not heavy or extreme, just like the "Sound of Islay", mellow and mature, delicate and delicate.
Founded in 1846, Kallira is the largest of the islet distilleries in Islay. At first, Calella played only the role of supplying the original wine, and later began to produce single malt whisky products. Soon attracted a group of enthusiasts. Its style is special and charming, mixing the flavors of smoked bacon, salmon, grass and wet coal, expanding the flavors of the sea and smoky to the extreme, making it the first choice for the introductory wines of Islay.
Glenfiddich 19 Year Old - Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask
Alcohol: 40% ABV, Origin: Spencer, Scotland, International Price: $175
Part of the Age of Discovery trilogy, the wine is ripened in first-filled Bourbon barrels with taffy and deep citrus notes that balance the faint smoky notes of dry oak. On the palate, it is complex and layered, with notes of vanilla, fine leather and tobacco, and is sweet and velvety, accompanied by the spicy flavors of cardamom and nutmeg, with a long and warm aftertaste.
Glenfiddy is the world's best-selling whisky brand, founded in 1886 by William Grant. For more than 100 years, graffiti distillery has been family-owned and operated for 5 generations, and is one of the few distillers in the world that still insists on hiring a cooper to maintain and care for each barrel in the factory.
9. Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Cask Strength
Alcohol: 43% ABV, origin: Taiwan, international price: 140 US dollars
The wine is aged in bourbon barrels and bottled in barrels of strong alcohol, with very fresh vanilla and coconut flavors, some cookie dough, followed by tropical fruit flavors of bananas and mangoes. It starts with sweet and spicy, peppery, and then slightly tannin bitter, but a lot of fruity notes (pear, apple, strawberry, and cream) balance it out. The aftertaste is medium in length and is filled with spicy grapefruit and bitter oak notes with a faint vanilla flavor in the background.
Located in Yilan County, Taiwan, Gramaline is Taiwan's first whisky distillery, completed in December 2005, distilled the first new wine in March 2006, and in December 2008, the distillery's first whisky, The Gemmarine Classic Single Malt Whisky, was launched. Since 2010, the distillery has begun its own winning process, accumulating more than 270 gold medals in various international competitions during the 10 years of listing (including the most important WWA World Whisky Awards 2015 World's Best Single Malt Whisky), and has been awarded the title of "World's Best Distillery" for 5 times, successfully ranking among the world's leading whisky brands.
10.Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel
Alc. alcohol: 48% ABV, origin: Japan, international price: $2304
Aged in 180-litre first-fill bourbon barrels, the wine is elegant and smooth, with hints of vanilla, toffee and subtle sweetness.
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