Kinsey Zinfandel Cask Finish
Some of the early iconic American whiskies were in fact ryes out of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Kinsey Whiskey was a well-known brand from the the late 19th Century that, despite surviving Prohibition, finally went by the wayside in the 1970s. That was, at least, until the Millstone Spirits Group built the New Liberty Distillery, which offers three iconic brands of whiskey: New Liberty, Maryland Heritage Series and a revived Kinsey in 2015. There are now several Kinsey offerings available, some of which are distilled at New Liberty and others sourced from elsewhere. The Kinsey Zinfandel Cask Finish is what the brand calls “American Whiskey” – supposedly 99% corn and 1% barley that is 10 years old – sourced from Indiana (the label says “blended and bottled by Kinsey”) and finished for 15 months in ex-Zinfandel casks from Chateau Montelena in California.
Ardbeg Ardcore
With a slogan of “Like Biting a Spiky Ball” emblazoned on the label, Ardbeg Ardcore swings for punk fences with their 2022 Committee Release. The differing factor that makes this particular offering stand out is that approximately 25% of the barley used was roasted black malt, with the remainder being their normal distilling malt. The Committee Releases are named for the Ardbeg Committee, formed after Glenmorangie purchased and reopened the shuttered distillery – originally founded in 1815 – in 1997. This group is a place for Ardbeg enthusiasts to hear of news and other special opportunities, ostensibly so that the distillery never has to face closure again. They are also a fantastic marketing opportunity and released as part of Fèis Ìle, an Islay festival founded in 1986 to celebrate the island’s unique history and heritage within the world of whisky, a now ten-day event that takes place at the end of May.
Glenmorangie 13 Year Cognac Finish
Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 and has gone through numerous permutations over time. Boasting the tallest stills in Scotland, they produce 6.5 million liters of single malt whisky a year fed from the nearby Tarlogie Springs. For the past few decades, Glenmorangie has also been one of the best selling single malts in Scotland itself and expanded into the luxury international market, driven by cask finishing started in the 1980s. This history of cask management is evident in the “Barrel Select Release” Series, where this Glenmorangie 13 Year Cognac Finish was released in 2021. A little different than many finishes that occur at the very end of maturation (hence the term “finishing”), the initial maturation in ex-bourbon casks lasted 8 years before being transferred to ex-Cognac casks that had been used already several times for the remaining years.