SMOKY and PEATED – ISLAY – SInGLE CASK – SINGLE MALT
At Uncharted Whisky, Dana and I are always looking for something different and delicious. This requires us to be bold in our cask selection which as a small business can be really nerve wracking. Never has this been more true than today.
Allow us to present to you and off-the-grid malt… A Caol Ila finished in ex-orange wine cask.
WHAT IS ORANGE WINE ANYWAY?
Orange wine is style of making wine which has been around for centuries, seemingly evolving out of Eastern Europe- particularly Georgia. White wine grapes are crushed, macerated and fermented with lots of contact with the grape must (skins and stalks). This essentially makes a white wine as if it was a bold red wine. The grape skins add richness, texture, and body to the wine along with an amber hue. The style of wine making has fallen in and out of vogue over the centuries but has experienced a resurgence in popularity in the last 20 years- driven mainly by Italian and Slovenian winemakers. This cask was Spanish and the finishing period was 2 years and 4 months.
Tell me about the influence on the whisky?
The influence is beautiful- bold enough to be clear and flavourful whilst delicate enough to let the ol’ faithful Caol Ila spirit sing. The cask has brought bright marmalade fruit- both the bitter and sweet elements-, a touch of brioche like a wine left on the lees, and an effervescent sparkle on the tongue. Read our tasting notes below for more info.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
I think when you try it, you will see why we named it Tutti Frutti. ‘Tutti Frutti” translates as “all fruits” in Italian and has ben used to describe all sorts of tangy ice creams, desserts and sweeties over the year. Take this fruit style as the tenor, add an deep and salty Islay bass line and you’ve got it.
An INSIGHT to indy bottling…
When we bottle at natural cask strength, the ABV can change slightly between the last time we measure it and it actually hitting glass. This was measured at 57.5% ABV in August 2024. This may change slightly by the time we get it onto the bottling line- it’s the nature of real minimal intervention whisky. The only way to plan ahead on an abv with any degree of certainty is to plan to reduce the strength- we’d rather not on this one… it’s a cracker.
As always…. Un-chill filtered. Natural colour.
[This listing was written by Jack on 24/09/2024]
ABV(%) |
57.9% |
Volume (cl) |
70 |
Age (Years) |
11 |
Cask Reference |
UC043 |
Distillate |
Caol Ila |
Distillation Date |
August 2013 |
Bottling Date |
November 2024 |
Bottle Outturn |
274 |
Nose
Smoke is not the star of the show. Bright and zingy fruity chews, baked peach crumble, salt and orange syrup.
Palate
The whisky almost seems to fizz. Marmalade- orange fruit sweetness and savoury bitterness of orange rind- alongside a delicate smoke. No sign of medicinal notes or the banana we often associate with Caol ila.
Finish
Rounded and full bodied coats the mouth. The smoke lingers a long time alongside a hint of mead and generous fruit.
Tasting notes by Jack and Dana.
DELIVERY INFO
United Kingdom
Free delivery on orders of any 2 bottles or more. £5.50 P&P charge on single bottles.
Orders within the UK will normally be delivered in 3 working days in fully recyclable, plastic free packaging- Long Live Planet Earth!
This Uncharted Whisky is ready for shipping now. Latest order date for Christmas delivery 19th December.
Europe
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For Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark see our stockist page.
USA
We are delighted that our Uncharted Whiskies are available in the US through the Whiskeylab