Whiskey question ......

[ozboz]

The cask must be oak and traditionally sherry casks were in abundance because sherry was shipped in bulk from Spain & Portugal.
Bourbon casks are also used as they are relatively cheap because by law, they can only be used once. (A senator who owned large oak forests was influential in passing


Something that is not highlighted on this side of the Atlantic is the fact that Bourbon is the "purest" of the whiskies due to the fact that absolutely nothing can be added!

Just as a matter if interest where does the name bourbon originate from ?

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Just as a matter if interest where does the name bourbon originate from ?

Bourbon county, Kentucky

 

[ozboz]

Bourbon county, Kentucky

Well ,.... There you go !!
Is it a bit like champagne , it has to come from that region to carry the name bourbon or can any distillery produce it ?

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Well ,.... There you go !!
Is it a bit like champagne , it has to come from that region to carry the name bourbon or can any distillery produce it ?

My understanding is that the necessity to be located in Bourbon county is no longer required. There are other stipulations, such as the percentage of corn used, length of ageing etc. But I'm not up to date on that.

 

[ozboz]

A lot of good info there @HobbesOnTour , cheers !!!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

A lot of good info there @HobbesOnTour , cheers !!!

Did you get the bottle already?

 

[DaveReading]

Bourbon county, Kentucky

Which, in turn, is of course named after the French royal dynasty.

Where Bourbon Really Got Its Name and More Tips on America’s Native Spirit

 

[PK99]

If you like a peaty dram, this from Lidl is amazingly good value. It's not quite as inyerface peaty as Laphroig (which some might actively prefer), but at a fair bit under £20, it's my occasional special treat.

Lidl will be doing what the independent bottlers do.

Storing and aging Malts for 10, 15, 25... etc is an expensive business with enormous amounts of working capital sat there producing no cash flow. Plus, being a natural product there can be great variation between barrels - some not compatible with the Distillery's flavour profiles or, for some premium producers, not up to standard.

So, distilleries sell off individual, general at the younger end, barrels to the Independents. Some of which will be bottled with the name of the Distillery but not the branding and will most likely be distinctively different from the Branded version. Some will be bottled under invented names with no distillery identifier, maybe because the Distillery wants to protect its branded product. For the Distillery this is all win-win as they get cashflow early and keep their product consistent.

Equally, it is win-win for Lidl and fits their business model perfectly. Ship the barrels direct from the Distillery to an independent bottler who bottles that batch under the Lidl brand and straight into the Lidl supply chain - no storing/aging costs, cheap bottling price using underused capacity at the Independent, rapid distribution.

Win-win for the punter too - properly produced Malt Whisky, often from big name Distillers but at low price.

 

[swee'pea99]

Lidl will be doing what the independent bottlers do.

Storing and aging Malts for 10, 15, 25... etc is an expensive business with enormous amounts of working capital sat there producing no cash flow. Plus, being a natural product there can be great variation between barrels - some not compatible with the Distillery's flavour profiles or, for some premium producers, not up to standard.

So, distilleries sell off individual, general at the younger end, barrels to the Independents. Some of which will be bottled with the name of the Distillery but not the branding and will most likely be distinctively different from the Branded version. Some will be bottled under invented names with no distillery identifier, maybe because the Distillery wants to protect its branded product. For the Distillery this is all win-win as they get cashflow early and keep their product consistent.

Equally, it is win-win for Lidl and fits their business model perfectly. Ship the barrels direct from the Distillery to an independent bottler who bottles that batch under the Lidl brand and straight into the Lidl supply chain - no storing/aging costs, cheap bottling price using underused capacity at the Independent, rapid distribution.

Win-win for the punter too - properly produced Malt Whisky, often from big name Distillers but at low price.

And in the case of that Lidl 'Islay' - there are only eight distilleries on the island, so you know for sure it's one of

Ardbeg
Bowmore
Bruichladdich
Bunnahabhain
Caol ila
Kilchoman
Lagavulin
Laphroaig

Every one a winner! (And like you say, everyone's a winner.)

 

[Salty seadog]

And in the case of that Lidl 'Islay' - there are only eight distilleries on the island, so you know for sure it's one of

Ardbeg
Bowmore
Bruichladdich
Bunnahabhain
Caol ila
Kilchoman
Lagavulin
Laphroaig

Every one a winner! (And like you say, everyone's a winner.)

Lagavulin 16yo and Laphroaig 10yo, top tipples, haven't had a Laddie or a Kilchoman though.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I remember as a young stage manager going to Matthew Gloag's in Perth to get a bottle of caramel to make fake whisky for use on stage - far better than cold tea.

One of the reasons for sherry or wine casks is these will have been used up to 5 times by the vineyard for up to 18 months at a time and the wine maturation process blocks up the pores of the wood. Vineyards prefer French oak as it is slower growing with smaller pores but sometimes settle for American oak on price grounds - 400 Euros a cask compared to 800 for French. Distilleries like these used casks because with the pores blocked, evaporation is less - the Angel's Share. This is about 2% per year.

 

[NorthernDave]

Which, in turn, is of course named after the French royal dynasty.
Where Bourbon Really Got Its Name and More Tips on America’s Native Spirit

Who were themselves named after the celebrated biscuit.

But on a more serious note, some good stuff on this thread.
I've developed a taste for the more peaty whiskies over the years - Talisker and Laphroaig in particular. I think I'll have to give that Lidl whisky a try - apparently the Aldi equivalent is also very good.