Bladnoch Distillery has announced the first installment of its five-part annual Waterfall Collection. With the new series, Scotland’s southernmost distillery is exploring the importance of cask selection in the maturation process of Whisky making.
“The Waterfall Collection gives us the opportunity to develop a whisky in a very fluid way that highlights the maturation journey a single whisky can take in five years,” said master distiller Dr Nick Savage, who has developed a variety of new products for Bladnoch’s lineup since joining the team in 2019, in a prepared statement. “Each year we will decide the cask types for the next stage of the waterfall maturation, but only when we fully understand how our whisky has evolved and matured in the previous year. This approach enables us to present the journey of this finite and ever reducing liquid, and showcase how the quality of whisky is assured at Bladnoch, in a way like never before.”
Each release in the Waterfall Collection demonstrates a different way the same aged Bladnoch Single Malt can be matured in oaked casks, resulting in a completely unique taste. To cover the five years of releases, Bladnoch Single Malt has been set aside from a combination of sweet ex Bourbon casks and intense Oloroso Sherry casks that are maturing in the archives.
Dr Savage will sample the Whisky at the beginning of its maturation period and in each ensuing year, the remaining liquid will be decanted into a new type of cask for a fresh layer of finishing.
Bottled at 48.8% ABV, the first batch offers aromas of raisins, lemons, and subtle orange peel. On the palate, the Whisky delivers flavors of dried apricots with lemon cake. The finish is described as “medium, with sweet freshness and a slight warming.”
Each Whisky in the Bladnoch Waterfall Collection will be limited to just 1,000 bottles.
