That Scotland’s whisky distillers – who are governed by the Scotch Whisky Regulations – source barrels from rum producers, who have few (if any) rules to adhere to, makes for a compelling juxtaposition. This is the expression to try if you’re a fan of rum. It’s complex, rich, and filled with caramel, vanilla, and tropical fruit flavors that should appeal to the most ardent rum aficionados. It must be a combination of time and cask type that eventually brings those wonderful darker heavier rum cask notes, that i sometimes think can blend with sherry cask notes. Overall i think this is a very enjoyable Irish Single malt whiskey, it had all i hoped for and more in all honesty. Price wise, it’s an Irish whiskey, they don’t come cheap, and it’s a bottle i’d love to have in my whisk(e)y cubboard. A favorite in the bartending community, The Balvenie 14-Year-Old Caribbean Cask begins its life like a regular 14-year-old single malt. It’s aged for 14 years in traditional oak casks. It’s then finished in casks that once held a blend of rum from the West Indies. Charred pineapple and honeyed sweetness harmonise with the silky whiskey as two spirits collide in magnificent fashion from this collaboration between Ireland’s Teeling Distillery and Plantation Rum ! Teeling took its Small Batch blended Irish whiskey, initially matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Central American rum casks, and treated it to a further 12-month maturation in casks that previously contained the mouthwatering Plantation Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy rum. Glorious stuff.

By most any measure, it seems they’ve found it — aging and resting their whiskies in barrels that formerly held rum. Rum cask finishing imparts a wide array of aromas and flavors ( and a general “tropical vibe”) into Scotch. Molasses, vanilla essence, rich milk chocolate, and tropical fruits are only a few of the unique notes this process typically (but not always) adds to Scotch whisky expressions. These added flavor notes help to round out some of the rougher edges some drams might otherwise have, like tamping down the campfire smokiness of peated scotch, for example. The nose makes you believe you’re definitely not imbibing a cheap blend. It’s ripe with molasses, vanilla beans, charred wood, and citrus. Your palate will be dancing with notes of candied orange peels, mint, buttery caramel, and dried fruits. The finish is sweet, warm, and ends with a nice dollop of creamy caramel. You’ll find a few smoky, rum-centered whiskies on this list. But you won’t find one with a better ratio of smoke to sweet, rummy flavor. Spey River Rum Cask Finish Spey RiverThe Jura Cask Finish series is said to be ideal for people looking to explore new flavours. At 40% abv, I’m not sure this is the direction I’d point people if they wanted to try out rum maturation but for fans of the Jura brand who want to experience a new direction, I can certainly see the appeal. Where the whisky sleeps is of utmost importanceMazuch advocates introducing legal structures within the rum category, and says the current state of affairs doesn’t result in “an even playing field”. “Bringing in regulations would [result in] a greater appreciation for the rum and therefore the whiskies that are finished in those casks,” he says. If you can find this bottle, buy it. It’s a highly flavorful, easily sippable whisky that is way cheaper than it should be. Just don’t let the folks at Spey River in on this fact. Dewar’s Caribbean Smooth Dewar Take the newest kid in Dufftown, Glenfiddich Fire & Cane, which unites delicious peat and sweet rum casks for the first time. “This new single malt truly encapsulates the spirit of experimentation,” malt master Brian Kinsman said in a statement last month.

It’s great to see a bit of creativity in the Jura brand and I’m sure some people will enjoy this dram but it just didn’t quite hit the spot for me. Personally, I would recommend looking instead at their Winter Edition. The one-litre bottle is evidence, I’m sure, that this release was originally intended for the travel retail market but for now at least, it brings a little diversity to shop shelves and that has to be a good thing. If you prefer your rum-finished whisky to have just a kiss of smoke and salt air, this is a great choice for you. Enjoy a dram as you imagine sitting by the Scottish seaside on a surprisingly warm spring day. Springbank 15 Rum Wood Springbank Flavours of pineapple upside-down cake, honeyed orchard fruit, brown sugar, and cinnamon pastries can be enjoyed in this approachable single malt from The Glenlivet. For Caribbean Reserve, the clue is in the name, as the huge distillery took a portion of this whisky and finished in casks which previously held Caribbean rum. The distillery folks recommend making a malty twist on a Mai Tai with this, which sounds delicious. Glencairn The Glencairn Whisky Glass is a revolutionary whisky glass that really lets you savor the taste and complexity of fine whisky. The glass is great to use for any of your ‘wee nippy sweeties’ whether it be Single Malt Whiskies, Irish Whiskies, or even single barrel bourbons. With the tapered mouth, you are able to really smell all of the nuances the whisky has to offer. Any malt advocate will love this glass! Champagne, Brandy, Wine… each has its own glass. Yet whisky, the worlds most complex spirit can be found served in anything from hiball tumblers to Paris goblets. It’s a bit like pouring your vintage champagne into a pint tumbler or your XO brandy into a shot glass! Whisky is a drink to be savoured. Time spent enjoying the flavours on the nose are equally important as those on the palate. Raymond Davidson decided it was about time someone designed a proper whisky glass… The perfect glass for whisky was created and left to mature for some twenty years at the bottom of a filing cabinet. After adequate maturation, his sons Paul and Scott decided to take his design to the people who know best…… Give this whisky a nice nosing before taking a sip and you’ll find notes of juicy peach, ripe bananas, molasses, and toasted vanilla beans. The palate is swirling with dried fruits, cinnamon, sweet treacle, and butterscotch candy. It ends the way it began: with a mellow, fruity flourish.Taste: Arrives in rather uneventful fashion but notes of toffee and malt are soon coming through with lots of Rum character. There’s honey and apple too with some gentle gingery spice. One of the most recent additions to the range has been the limited edition Cask Finishes series. These were created by whisky-maker Gregg Glass to showcase the effect of different cask finishes on the classic Jura malt. The latest in the series is the Rum Cask Finish, which follows Sherry and Red Wine editions. Released in 2019 to celebrate Ardbeg Day, this limited release single malt was created to bring a little bit of the tropics to the North Atlantic. This fully matured, peated single malt from the renowned Islay distillery is finished in casks the formerly held rum. What came out was a magical combination of vanilla, tropical fruits, and the peat smoke the distillery is known for. In most cases, however, ' finished' molasses is bought, which is a 'waste product' from sugar production anyway, so to speak. Depending on whether a lighter or stronger rum is to be produced, the time of fermentation varies between twelve hours and seven days. The average is around 24 to 32 hours. The resulting sugar wine has between 6% and 10% alcohol content. Distillation is mainly done in column stills, as this is cheaper - as in whisky production - and produces a lighter spirit. In the past, a lot was also distilled in pot stills, which resulted in a heavier brandy. Although the pot still process is the most expensive method of rum production, it is nevertheless used by many because it produces a particularly expressive rum. As with the production of whisky, it is usually double-distilled, diverting the pre- and post- distillation and collecting only the heart, the middle-stream. As you know from whisky production, volatile substances such as methanol evaporate first at 'low' temperatures, which is why the forerun is separated. With longer distillation, heavier rums can be produced, which then contain more fusel oils. Or lighter ones with a correspondingly lower proportion of these oils. In the continuous column still process, there are even 'three-column plants' and 'multi-column plants' in rum production, which have helped Bacardi, among others, to great success. Blended Scotch Whisky A blended whisky is the production of whisky using one or more whiskies from a different distillery. So if we have Glenlivet single malt and we mix it with another Glenlivet single malt it is still as single malt. However if we mixed that single malt with a Glenfiddich it is now blended whisky, simples. This allows whiskies of lesser age and personality to be used to blend flavours together and make a cheap alternative to single malt. There’s always talk of blended whisky not being nearly as good as its closest competitor the single mal, but we beg to differ here at The Whisky Company. When the weather warms and your looking for something a little more thirst quenching and cooler you should turn to some excellent blended whiskies. Some examples of blended whisky are Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, Bells, Jameson Irish Whisky, Canadian Club, Seagram’s Seven American Whiskey and let’s not forget some of those extra special Japanese brands including Hibiki. Some new blended whisky in the market now is the Pure Scot blend from Bladnoch Distillery and Hibiki Harmony from Suntory. These whiskies can be taken straight, on ice or mixed to make a refreshing contemporary drink…

Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask – available on masterofmalt.comWhile the trend isn’t exactly new – especially as far as Irish and US whisky-makers are concerned – more Scotch distillers than ever are looking beyond wine cask maturation and making daring puncheon pit-stops en route to the bottling line. October 2022, Northern Ireland: Bushmills® Irish Whiskey unveils the next chapter of the highly anticipated range of luxury Single Malts, The Causeway Collection. To celebrate the arrival of the limited-edition Causeway Collection 1997 Rum Cask – the pioneers of Irish Single Malt whiskey have partnered with epicurean storyteller and Barbadian born Chef Jason Howard to develop a series of exclusive recipes inspired by this rare cask. Bushmills whiskeyBursting with light, the aromatic palette of this Kavalan will leave an indelible mark on you the first time you taste it. In this regard, the complicity between the malted barley and rum is a moment of pure olfactory joy. Every bit as impressive as the nose, the palate sees malted barley tactfully take a slight lead on the other elements of the gustatory palette. Lastly, to end this initiatory journey, with a rare intelligence and lots of confidence, the finish prefers to allow the taster’s imagination to run wild.” This is probably the most famous example of a rum cask-finished whisky, an increasingly popular choice for brands and distilleries who want to add a delicious dose of flavour from a source with historical precedent. You all know the classic from one of Speyside’s standouts, so we thought we’d showcase some other whiskies that have benefitted from a rum-soaked secondary maturation.