Stranahan's Sherry Cask Single Malt Whiskey (750mL)

Stranahan’s Sherry Cask Finish is a 4-year-old American single malt whiskey that is aged for four years in new white American oak barrels, aged for an additional period (which they did not share) in 40-year-old Oloroso sherry casks from the Andalusia region of Spain. The finishing barrels were sourced from the Andalusia in southern Spain, where they were aging wine for over 40 years, leaving a depth of flavor soaked into the ancient oak staves.

American single malts have intense, bold flavors in comparison and a lot of that comes from the newly charred casks used to age new whiskey (the scots use ex-bourbon casks, which will have already had several years worth of flavor extracted by bourbon).

So Stranahan’s Master Distiller Rob Dietrich, who is continually experimenting with new expressions of American Single Malt & unique cask finishes, decided to use such well-worn casks to extract enough flavor to impact the whiskey. The resulting whiskey is an endless well of flavor. At the beginning it’s rich and dessert-like: tons of cherry pie notes, raisins, with walnuts and a hint of leather echoing in the background. By the end it’s syrupy warm and sweet, with brown sugar, caramel and toffee notes.

If you’re a fan of the Stranahan’s brand (you should be) you’ll note that this is essentially a sherry-finished Diamond Peak whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

Aroma: An expanse of over-ripe cherry, sweet apple, raisins, almonds, leather and fresh-cut hay
Palate: Honey, Montmorency cherries, blackcurrant and fig, with a nutty brine and walnut characteristics
Finish: Buttery caramel, whipped creme, brown sugar and smoked cayenne