At the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, we’ve never been shy about experimenting with cask maturation. Over the years, we’ve explored just about every cask type imaginable – and discovered time and again how a great whisky can be shaped by an exceptional cask.
As everyone knows, we have a long-standing love affair with sherry casks and the flavour results still surprise and delight us today. Rich, layered, and full of character – it’s a formula we know works. But that got us thinking: if sherry casks can do this much, what about other fortified wines?
With Fortified: Adventures in Australian wine casks, we’ve taken that question to the other side of the world – exploring the impact of casks that once held fortified Chardonnay, tawny wine, and muscat. The result? A new flavour experience, built on the same taste for adventure that defines everything we do.
It’s whisky with a twist. Familiar spirit, unexpected flavour … And you’ll taste it straight away – layer upon layer of unexpected texture, sweetness and spice. Chardonnay brings nutty depth and creamy oak. Tawny wine adds dried fruit, toffee and warmth. Muscat lifts everything with vibrant, floral sweetness. It’s a different kind of cask influence – and a new kind of flavour journey.
Fortified: Adventures in Australian wine casks is a celebration of flavour exploration – where the whisky reaches new levels of complexity and brilliance through its time in far-flung wood.
“Fortified wine casks are ideally suited to the maturation of Scotch whisky, and at the Society we are great advocates of the sherry cask. In our “Fortified” collection, we go further afield to explore casks from halfway around the world. A selection of whiskies matured in Australian fortified wine casks. We cover Tawny (one to try if you enjoy Port cask matured whiskies), Muscat (perhaps you have tried whisky matured in Moscatel casks before? Here’s one for you), and incredibly rare, fortified Chardonnay casks (quite frankly indescribably beautiful and rich, golden raisin whisky here). Join us to expand your cask horizons and experience something truly special.”
EUAN CAMPBELL – HEAD OF WHISKY CREATION
CASK NO. 5.142
DRENCHED IN FRUIT SALAD GOO
The neat nose suggested coconut shavings on a peshwari naan, along with freshly cut grass, overripe strawberries, mango juice and botanical garden hothouses. Water brought out notes of peach yoghurt, rooibos tea, mango pavlova and white chocolate with a green tinge of crushed nettle leaf. The palate displayed cherry kirsch, crème de menthe, ripe peaches, nectarines and plum loaf, plus a wee menthol flourish of mint cake too. Reduction delivered fruit juices, date molasses, hibiscus tea and blow-torched mango. This was matured in an ex-bourbon barrel for 19 years before being transferred to a first fill 300-litre Australian fortified chardonnay cask.
CASK NO. 70.65
WONDER FROM DOWN UNDER
Fourteen years in an ex-bourbon barrel preceded further time in this first fill Australian tawny cask; the colour is crazy. On the nose we got jam, stewed apple and glacé cherries, some fruity shiraz – then hints of tobacco, leather and desiccated coconut in the background. The palate mingled sticky jam sponge with lightly spiced red wine and a teasing finish of chewy oak and rosemary sprigs. The reduced nose had honey and butterscotch sweetness, kumquat and star fruit, with wisps of honeysuckle and hazelnut. On the palate, behind the dominant sangria flavours, we discovered orange and marzipan, then slight tobacco and nutmeg to finish.
CASK NO. 9.311
HOW DO YOU LIKE THESE APPLES?
Initial nosing revealed strawberry tarts, tobacco, apricot jam, battenberg cake and golden raisins soaking in young cognac. We also found lovely notes of youthful dessert wines, vanilla fudge and lemon posset. Water brought out impressions of fermenting cider, red apples, orange blossom, sticky dates and mint tea. The unreduced palate was wonderfully full of aged armagnac, ripe melon, polished hardwoods, old madeira, chestnut jam and ryebread spiciness. Reduction delivered more cognac and armagnac vibes, along with a deeper honeyed sweetness, baked apples, toasted almonds and pears poached in sauternes. This was matured in an ex-bourbon barrel for 16 years before being transferred to a first fill Australian muscat barrique.