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A
unique recreation of the storage and serving of malt whisky
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OUR
UNIQUE RECREATION OF THE STORAGE AND SERVING OF MALT WHISKY
Not a
single malt, but a living vatting of suitable malts, The Living
Cask takes its inspiration from Notes on a Cellar Book
by renowned connoisseur Professor George Saintsbury, published
1920, in which he writes:
“...The
more excellent way—formerly practised by all persons
of some sense and some means north of the Tweed—is to
establish a cask,...fill it up with good and drinkable whisky,...stand
it up on end, tap it half way down or even a little higher,
and, when you get to or near the tap, fill it up again with
whisky fit to drink, but not too old. You thus establish what
is called in the case of sherry a ‘solera’, in
which the constantly changing character of the old constituents
doctors the new accessions, and in which these in turn freshen
and strengthen the old.”
And that
is what we do. When half drawn down a new malt is introduced
and the character changes. Each top up is described as a Volume
and this is marked on the ‘spine’ of our book-style
label which has Saintsbury’s instructions on the back.
Each ‘Volume’ is bottled as a 20cl sample, dated
at the time of drawing from the cask with the prevailing strength
noted. As this is the natural strength it is in the region
of 60% alc.
Living
cask enthusiast Jack Mangus writes, “The folks at Loch
Fyne Whiskies have cleverly produced a continually marketable
and intriguing vatted whisky. I can’t wait for the next
volume! Thanks to Professor George Saintsbury for his inspiration
and LFW for The Living Cask!”
LIVING
CASK™— 20cl
@ cask strength £22.90
A subscription service for the automatic despatch of each
successive volume is also available.
If
you are familiar with our terms of sale (here)
you
can
View
present tasting notes
and Order 'The Living Cask' here
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ANNIVERSARY
OFFERING
Here's
something we're very chuffed about.
SUBLIME
PACKAGE?
Each
protective tube is numbered with the (available) number
of your choice - be sure to let us know your preferred number,
with alternatives, otherwise we will select one at random.
Here's
the outer label that sets the scene:
In
order to protect Tipsy - the Living Cask boy - during transit,
the protective tube has a fiendishly ingenious inner
sleeve...
Having
negotiated the extraordinary lid you are presented
with a spare cork in case you are not happy with the integrity
of Tipsy's stopper once you have broken the original seal,
we like to give you options.
Wedged
into the protective bottle-cloth is a small tag from our
friends at Inveraray Tweed Company:
However,
in order to maintain a sense of mystery we will not
describe the pattern of the weave except to advise that
is secured with a red deerskin lacing for which it has been
necessary for a new knot to be developed - a Fyne Hitch
(technically, for you knot enthusiasts, it's both a 'lash'
and a 'sling').
The
back label describes what we have done and why.
After
the dates, I am handwriting One of 300 bottles and
initialling it.
I'm
also writing the strength of 59% to the front label
that adorns the most elegant bottle you will have the chance
to behold.
These
label images are shown on white because we can't do justice
to the quality of 25% cotton paper that is employed.
Each
tube is identified with the available number of your choice,
be sure to let us know your preferred number - up to 300,
with alternatives, otherwise we will select one at random.
Finally,
before we get to the quality of the whisky, here's the reaction
of one of our first purchasers:
"We
visited your fantastic shop on friday, what a great place!
My husband finally convinced me that he had to have a
bottle of your Anniversary Living Cask, complete with
its weed* wrap, although I do not share his passion for
whisky it has been a pleasure and somewhat of a bewilderment
to listen to his constant chatter and showing off all
for a bottle of something he his never going to drink,
but I did get a more pleasant drive the 350 miles home,
so thankyou I'll enjoy the peace untill he feels the need
for another visit to your fantastic shop".
Carol & Jeff Astley.
*Typo!;
that should be 'Tweed'!
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THE
WHISKY
Since
my first reading of Saintsbury I have considered his friend's
recommendation of a peaty Brora with a delicate, complex
Glenlivet to be a somewhat sound notion and this bottling
fulfils a long held ambition. I am delighted with the result.
In October 2002, during the time that I was interviewing
Andrew Symington of Signatory for SWR17, we discussed the
options for my ultimate Living Cask. Andrew produced samples
of Brora and Glenlivet and as the back label shows a half
cask of each was married in December into an ex-refill cask
that had previously held Rosebank. A small sample of the
original Living Cask from the shop was added to ensure ongoing
continuity.
Bottling took place in September this year - not because
of we figured they had reached their peak but for the more
practical reason that I needed two bottles for a tutored
tasting, with the Single Malt Academy of Dalecarlia in Sweden,
and UK Customs & Excise rules demand that the bottling
operation be planned and finite, so the whole cask was bottled
with a total yield of 300 75cl bottles and a surplus that
filled a few dozen traditional Living Cask sample bottles
of 20cl.
Special thanks to Andrew Symington and Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky.
From the original Living Cask in the shop I have learned
the benefits of marrying whiskies, and indeed the vulnerability
of Scotch to shock, it's not just marketing bollocks, malts
are very vulnerable and that is why (for example) our Decadence!
was returned to wood after reduction by water, to let it
recover before going on to bottling.
It’s the same with my Living Cask, when we add new
accessions the results are usually a bit of a disappointment
(in the way a politician describes a personal disaster).
However after three of four weeks it recovers and excels,
no more time is required but I can confirm that good whisky
is very susceptible to shock - aren’t we all?
The ten months in wood that our Anniversary Living Cask
has had to get acquainted has produced excellent results.
Like our 20cl Living Cask samples, the whisky is totally
beguiling, you can spend an evening nosing it alone and
then discard the liquid, exhausted. But that would be a
bit of a waste, wouldn’t it? Best to have a swig too.
This
Anniversary Offering of the Living Cask has a very bold
nose but no prickle, there are some sherry notes with
associated strong ester elements, and there is a deep
complexity with large elements of intrigue, a whiff of
peat, no more. It’s thick, even in the aroma –
there's plenty of entertainment just sniffing it.
In the mouth she goes; she’s hot, there’s
salt, sweetness and also a little bitter – it’s
mercury on the tongue, motile blobs of flavour (he-he-he!)
all over the place and some fruit at the start of the
finish. Then! There’s a blipvert of peat at the
swallow, a momentary promise of pleasures to come, and
half way through the finish Brora’s peat erupts,
forcible yet languidly, like an undersea larva fissure.
Brilliant whisky.
How’s
that for a tasting note? If McEwan can do it, why can’t
I have a go? The normal LFW guarantee applies, if you’re
not happy with it, send it back and Andy will finish it
off for you.
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The
Anniversary bottling of The Living Cask
£139
per bottle
if
you wish to collect and taste, there is a paring of a full
bottle with 20cl sampler for
£159
Order
The Living Cask
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Loch
Fyne Whiskies
Inveraray
Argyll
PA32 8UD
Scotland
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Telephone
+44 (0)1499 302 219
Facsimile
+44 (0)1499 302 238
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