Athrú Single Cask Release

Ollie Alcorn is the head distiller here at the Lough Gill Distillery.

Shortly, Lough Gill Distillery will be releasing three single cask bottlings at cask strength. Buyers will be able to taste whiskey in its purest form, direct from the cask. The number of bottles per release is limited to the size of the cask and the amount of liquid left after the angels have taken their share. Hopefully they haven't been too greedy! 

These first three single cask whiskies will be selected from the warehouse by me, and I will oversee the entire bottling process from start to finish to make sure each bottle is perfect. I'm hoping to showcase three distinct whiskies by selecting whiskies of different age and cask finish.

If you’d like to be first to hear about each release and make sure you don’t miss out on a cask, please sign up by clicking here.

Selecting the single cask whiskies - the process

In our bonded warehouse, we have literally thousands of casks so you may wonder where do you start? Well, what I'll be looking for are the outlier casks, the best of each batch we have available. Luckily, I've witnessed each filling and transfer and also help managing the stock sheet, so I know what liquid went into what cask at what point in time. Naturally, there's a few casks which I've been keeping a close eye on...

Before sampling begins, I'll send a list of which samples I need to the warehouse manager, Gavin. He will then gather all the samples in small perfectly clear glass bottles and add a label to show which cask the sample came from. I can then analyse the colour and test the strength of each sample when back in the sampling room. Samples are organised and left for a few hours to come up to room temperature. This is important during certain times of year when the warehouse is basically the same temperature as outside. 

Before pouring any whiskey, I will make sure each nosing glass is clean, dry and free of odours. Each sample is nosed, and I'll make basic comments on a note pad beside me. At this point I'm mainly checking for consistency and faults, but I will also leave a mark beside any samples which stand out compared to the rest. These outliers can then be retested at the end and I'll make more detailed notes on each of them i.e. aroma, mouthfeel and finish. Once I have the samples significantly narrowed down, I may ask other members of staff for their opinion and preference. I can't wait for you to try them!