Whiskey brand Wolves recently announced the April 6th release of its first-ever American single malt whiskeys.
A statement from Wolves notes that the “Lot One” expressions will come under the brand’s Malted Barley Series banner.
The whiskey maker noted that they acquired a limited supply of single malt and malted barley whiskeys in 8 to 12 barrel lots starting in 2011.
Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic distilled each lot over a 10-day period in a small alembic pot still imported from Cognac, France. The whiskey maker noted that while far less efficient than a column still, the slow, antique pot still yields whiskey with more body, flavor, and viscosity.
During distillation, the statement noted, Karakasevic slept in four-hour shifts so that he alone could make each cut, selecting ‘the heart of hearts’ for double distillation.
“Marko is an artist … this could be his opus,” said Wolves co-founder Jon Buscemi. “This library of whiskey is insanely good.”
Lot One was distilled in 2015 and 11 of the 12 barrels were blended together by Wolves and bottled at 110-proof (55% ABV).
The distiller’s notes show that on the nose, the whiskey has aromas of honey, grapefruit, vanilla, oak, and sandalwood. The palate features notes of maple syrup, currants, leather, orange cake, and warm vanilla. The medium-length finish is consistent front to back with steady resolution.
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The 12th barrel (barrel #574) was selected as a single barrel release, and bottled at 125-proof (62.5% ABV). The heavy toast cask with Hungarian heads imparted a dark amber color and dark chocolate notes as well, with a sharpness on the back palate.
Wolves CEO Jeremy Joseph called this a rich and complex whiskey. “American single malt is an emerging category within the domestic whiskey landscape, and this is a best-in-class example of craftsmanship and flavor within it.”
A calling card for the brand, which was built by fashion and culture experts, is that each bottle in the Wolves Malted Barley Series will be hand-numbered and wrapped by hand in a laser-cut, embossed, sheepskin label printed with UV light, and laid flush on heavy, French-cut glass.
All 228 bottles of Wolves’ Lot One single-barrel expression will be offered privately to certain members on its Allocation List for the price of $350.
The 375 6-packs of the Lot One blended single malt expression will be made available through select retailers, as well as through pre-sale to the Wolves Allocation List starting March 30th. They have a suggested retail price of $289 a bottle.
For more information, check out www.wolveswhiskeyca.com.
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