Famous Grouse Announces Wine Cask Blended Scotch

Famous Grouse has unveiled Wine Cask, a third entry in its Cask Series, a range of blended scotch whiskies matured in various types of barrels, which already includes bourbon and port-aged expressions. The new expression is finished in Spanish red wine barrels, “producing a fuller bodied whisky with the classic smoothness typical of The Famous Grouse” and imparting notes of “dark chocolate, cherries, nutmeg and subtle hints of black pepper,” according to a prepared statement from the company.

“We place such importance on the quality of our wood, as it is such an integral part of bringing the product to life and we are delighted to be able to demonstrate this in an exciting, new way, through the launch of The Famous Grouse Cask Wine Cask,” said Chris Anderson, head of brands at Erington-Beam Suntory UK. “Wine cask finishing is still relatively new in the history of whisky but is quickly growing in popularity as distillers look to explore the extensive layers of flavour development.

“These innovations are contributing to the inauguration of an everyday premium category for Blended Scotch Whisky and this approach demonstrates our commitment to bringing fresh opportunities for growth within the category.”

The new whisky launched exclusively at British supermarket chain Waitrose in September; there’s no information from Famous Grouse on pricing, or on if this expression will be released in the US, but previous entries are selling online between $20 and $30.