Editor’s Note: These whiskies were provided to us as review samples by Cask 88. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review.
Ever wondered what Scotch tastes like straight from the barrel? Cask 88’s new release, the Cask 88 Unfiltered series, aims to provide just that experience. The entire Cask 88 Unfiltered series will be, in their words, “straight from the cask, untampered with. No colouring, no chill-filtering and no dilution.” This means all releases in this line will be cask strength and single barrel. They let me know that they will be aiming for quarterly releases and that there is no intention of this product line being just Scotch.
Cask 88 is an independent bottler and broker. They opened their office in 2013 with their first publicly available bottling being released in 2018. The fun of independent bottlers, for me, comes in a chance to taste something unique. Most bottles of whiskey are blended together from multiple barrels. This process allows the blenders to pull certain flavors forward, mask undesirable flavors, and change how the entire flavor profile develops. With single barrel releases, such as the one’s from the Cask 88 Unfiltered line, you are offered a chance to taste what the blender tastes when choosing what to use in their batch. These single barrel releases require more attention to barrel selection and can lead to some surprising expressions from known distilleries.
The bottles I tasted came from four well established distilleries. The North British Distillery, a commercial grain distillery and malter, is one of the largest grain whisky producers in Scotland. Glen Garioch, a Highland distillery located in Oldmeldrum. Caol Ila, an Islay distillery on the east side of the island. The last of the four, labeled Ledaig, comes from Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull. All of Tobermory’s peated whisky is produced under the name of Ledaig.
I think the first releases in the Cask 88 Unfiltered line offer a great range of what Scotch whisky can be. While these overproof expressions can quickly blow out the palate, they hold up nicely to dilution. This allows for customizing the drink, and extending how many pours you get out of a bottle. The single grain from the North British Distillery is a solid single grain with some layered complexities over the flavors of the grain. The Glen Garioch, while not as rich of a flavor as I normally associate with them, still had great depth. The Caol Ila was the closest to what I expect from their label, lightly peated with a mellow and complex flavor. The Ledaig I felt was quite hot with little to enjoy, but with a bit of dilution came to be a decent sipper.
All in all, these first releases for Cask 88’s Unfiltered line were fun, but didn’t leave me impressed. Nothing wrong with the bottles themselves, but I would prefer to grab the flagship releases from the producing distilleries rather than any one of the Cask 88 releases. Still, if you are looking for something new and unique, or really enjoy an overproof Scotch, these one off releases may be a good choice for you.
Tasting Notes: Cask 88 Unfiltered – North British Distillery Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Vital Stats: Aged 32 years, 46.7% ABV, refill bourbon barrel, cask #213649, 215 bottles, $141.29 per bottle.
Appearance: Clear light golden-yellow color. Slow developing legs
Nose: A little bit of acetone up front gives way to some lovely lemon peel and just a hint of some tropical fruit. There is a honey sweetness that develops as I nose it a bit more.
Palate: First sip I get some white pepper up front that gives way to a subtle sweetness. It develops into a nice rich malt. There’s a bit of heat on it, but fades pretty quickly. Nice complexity delivers subtle notes of different things with each sip including honey, cacao, and lemon oil. I’m left with a bit of a lingering astringency, and while the finish is subtle, it sticks on the palate for a good length of time. Addition of water really brings out the quality of the grain, shortens the finish, and eliminates any astringency.
Score: 3.5
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Tasting Notes: Cask 88 Unfiltered – Glen Garioch Distillery Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Vital Stats: Aged 12 years, 59.4% ABV, cask #640, refill bourbon barrel, 230 bottles, $88.03 per bottle.
Appearance: Deep golden yellow, slow developing legs
Nose: A very sweet nose. The first thing I get is honey, followed up with apple and pear. There is just a hint of a floral note.
Palate: Not nearly as sweet on the palate as it is on the nose. Bold flavor of lemon balm are followed by a wave of astringency and a complex savory note. Finish is dry and hot, leaving me with more of a feeling than a flavor. The proof of the whisky really coats the mouth. Water brings out more of the malt and stretches out the savory notes. There is a pleasant note of dried fruit and heather underlying everything else. With water the finish remains just as dry, but becomes much shorter.
Score: 3
Tasting Notes: Cask 88 Unfiltered – Caol Ila Distillery Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Vital Stats: Aged 13 years, 57.7% ABV, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #317318, 270 bottles, $115.64 per bottle.
Appearance: A golden honey color, slightly deeper color than the other bottles. The legs come in two waves: the first are quick and fat, second are small and slow.
Nose: I get notes of apple, iodine, honey, smoke, and a bit of mesquite.
Palate: As it first hits the tongue it is sweet and astringent. This fades pretty quickly to an oily and rich mouth feel with notes of caramel and oak. I get a slight burn, which is to be expected at this proof, with another hit of the astringency. It fades into a pleasant finish that is light and long, with a lingering quality of slightly sweet smoked barbecue. The addition of water really ups the sweetness, bringing the caramels forward, but it also brings up some of the funk of the peat. The smoke remains subdued and of that same barbecue kind of quality.
Score: 3.5
Tasting Notes: Cask 88 Unfiltered – Ledaig Distillery Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Vital Stats: Aged 14 years, 59.6% ABV, Cask #18206, first fill Oloroso sherry hogshead, 230 bottles, $183.90 per bottle.
Appearance: Golden yellow in color, legs are very slow to form
Nose: I get dried fruit and apple up front with just a hint of baking spice.
Palate: All I get is heat up front, with little hints of honey and caramel. This all fades to a delightful finish of mesquite barbecue with pretty subdued levels of smoke. Adding water brings out a lot more of the sweeter caramel notes. With water the finish has a bit of caramel and vanilla, and what was a touch of smoke becomes ash.
Score: 2.5
Final Thoughts: As a set of cask strength unmodified single malts, the first set of releases in the Cask 88 Unfiltered line are perfectly fine. These fit into a category of fun, unique, and one-off experiences for anyone that wants to purchase them. While this was a fun tasting, none of these bottles are something I would pick up over the normal bottlings from any of these distilleries.
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