Australia-based Lark Distillery recently announced a new addition to its Rare Cask Series, PARA100 (56.3% ABV).
The single malt release has been finished in casks that once held 100-year-old Seppeltsfield Para Vintage Tawny, believed to be the world’s only unbroken lineage of single vintage wines spanning more than 130 consecutive vintages. Before spending its time in the unique cask, the spirit spent roughly five years hopping between ex-Port, ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon casks.
Official tasting notes describe a nose that is rich and sticky, with hints of treacle pudding, brandied custard and wood-fired raisin brad, that lead into a sweet cherry and oak with undertones of saddle leather and fresh tobacco on the palate. A long finish of cocoa nibs, coffee, blackberry jam and dark fruit cake complete the bottling.
“The Para Tawny casks were complex but very intense, so to avoid dominating the carefully-curated spirit we slowly finished the whisky in two casks over four batches”, described Lark founder Bill Lark, who went on the describe the resulting whisky as “impossibly long and luxurious, perfect for those intimate fireside chats with friends that extend well into the early hours of the morning” in an official statement.
The Rare Cask Series is seen as the distillery’s continuous quest to uncover the world’s rarest and most storied casks. Each release celebrates the distinct characteristics of every cask in the form of a single malt whisky. PARA100 stands as the second in the series, following behind the distillery’s 2020 release of PARA50, a $550 single malt finished in 50-year-old vintage tawny casks – also from Seppeltsfield.
Bottled at 700ml, each bottle of PARA100 will come with a copper medallion that has been handcrafted from a decommissioned Lark copper pot still, as well as a complimentary 100ml bottle of the same whisky. With only 450 bottles available at $1000 AUD each, the release is extremely limited and is currently available on the distillery’s website.
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