How Do We Choose Casks To Make Kilchoman Releases?

Cask selection can make or break a whisky. You could make the best new make spirit in the world but deciding what casks you put it into will ultimately define the end result. At Kilchoman we take cask selection very seriously, sourcing casks from all around the world and making judgments as they mature to create the highest quality whisky we can.

First of all, it comes down to the type of wood. To legally be called whisky, all casks need to be made from oak wood that can be cut from trees around the world. The most common types of oak used in the scotch whisky industry are American oak (Quercus alba) and European oak (Quercus robur). How the spirt interacts with the wood itself plays a major role in the overall flavour.

American oak forms a closed grain (lots of thin layers of oak close together) and is fast growing. This is favoured by the whisky industry as it is better for liquid retention and there is a high availability of it making it easier to source. It will typically impart flavours of vanilla, coconut and tropical fruits

European oak is slow growing so has a more limited availability. It will generally give notes to the whisky of dried fruits and warm spices. At Kilchoman, our sherry casks are actually made with American oak instead of European oak. This is due to the fact that European oak is more porous, allowing less interaction to take place so will generally require a much longer maturation.

After deciding what type of oak we want to mature in, it then comes to selecting what the casks have been used for previously. The two most commonly used types of casks are ex-bourbon barrels and ex-oloroso sherry casks. However, we have experimented with everything from cognac, rum, tequila, mezcal and calvados. This produces a wide variety of additional flavour and allows us to make a more diverse range of whiskies but this comes with its own challenges, as some can be more difficult to work with making it harder to predict the outcome.

When it comes to selecting which cask types we use, the key word is balance. We don’t want to choose something that will overshadow Kilchoman’s unique spirit, but we also want to ensure we are getting enough influence that it adds flavour and creates harmony. Not all cask types will work for us as well as others, which is completely fine. It all comes down to discovering what showcases our whisky in the best light.

Now we wait. Despite going through the process with a fine-tooth comb to select what we feel will be the best casks for us, it all comes down to what happens while they are aging. As much as we would like to think we have total control when it comes to this, you cannot tell a cask how to mature and sometimes you can taste two casks from the same batch, and they can be entirely different from one another.

There is no right or wrong way to choose casks. It all comes down to the desired flavour the distillery is looking to achieve. What may work well for one may not work well for another. One of the wonderful things about whisky is that this means there is an unimaginable number of different flavours being created all over the world and with the amount of diversity in the industry means there truly is something out there for everyone to enjoy.

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