Issue 161 | Whisky Magazine 59SEASONING
Finishing Irish whiskey in beer casks
may be a recent focus, but it’s also
a traditional approach – brewers
originally used wooden barrels which
were freely traded with distilleries
(until stainless steel kegs came in
and became the norm).
IPA, stout and porter have an integral
link with whiskey, as malted barley
is a core ingredient. Murphy’s Irish
dry stout, for example, is brewed
from barley and malted barley, while
another Irish dry stout, Guinness, is
brewed from malted barley which is
also roasted. Imperial stout typically
has a higher ABV, at around 8% ABV,
compared to stout at around 4% ABV.
Red ale is also brewed from roasted
barley, which can be used in a porter
as well.
“We use casks seasoned with porter
made from chocolate malt, which is
roasted to bring out toffee, cocoa and
chocolate notes. We apply a finishing
period of six months to a year to
seven-year-old malt which has been
aged in Bourbon barrels, this adds
toffee, cocoa and chocolate notes
to the whiskey, which already has
a biscuity, malty, honey, vanilla and
caramel character, with light, fruity
citrus and a little spice,” says Kevin
Keenan, founder, Glendalough.whenever it’s ready, as each cask can be
slightly different,” says Iain Wood.
The particular influence a beer-
seasoned cask exerts on the whiskey
also depends of course on the style of
the whiskey. Jameson Caskmates Stout
Edition, for example, is matured in ex-
Bourbon barrels and then finished for
five months in ex-Bourbon barrels that
have been seasoned for two months
with stout.
“It’s still definitely Jameson,
which has apple pie and a bit of
Christmas cake, but the whiskey
acquires additional coffee, cocoa
and butterscotch notes, which are
discernible in stout. The texture of
the whisky also becomes softer on the
palate,” says Dave Quinn.
The Jameson Caskmates series
includes an IPA Edition, while the
approach has also acquired a certain
global reach.
“As part of the Jameson Caskmates
family, we send our barrels to be
seasoned by craft brewers around the
world, including Australia, Canada and
the USA, to create hyper-local Jameson
Caskmates whiskeys. Brewers use
the casks to produce a limited-edition
beer, then we bring the barrels back to
Ireland and use them to finish Jameson.
This whiskey is then bottled and sent
back to the city where the brewery is
located,” says Dave Quinn.These pages, from
left to right:
Whiskey producers
in Ireland are often
looking to their
notable relatives for
flavour inspiration.058-059-Production-WM161.indd 59 26/06/2019 14:59