The Top Whisky Finished in Sauternes Wine Barrels

The distillery has been showcasing various new bottling and finishes, with the Sauternes finish being part of their “Wood Finish Series”, matured in traditional American Oak ex-bourbon barrels, the whisky is finish in Sauternes Casks. With a limited production run of roughly 4000 bottles the BenRiach Sauternes finish has since been discontinued but still is available in several European countries.

Perhaps not as well known as some of the other islands of Scotland, the Isle of Arran is located east of the Kintyre peninsula where Campbeltown (and Springbank distillery) is located and west of mainland Scotland. This island actually has quite a mild climate due to the influence from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf stream. This single malt is aged for 8 years in traditional (previously used) oak before transferring to ex-Sauternes dessert wine casks. Note: The brand updated its packaging in 2019.

Tullibardine is Gaelic for “lookout hill” and refers to a 15th century small medieval chapel located near the distillery. The 225 in the name of this Highland single malt comes from the fact that it was aged for around 12 months in 225-liter casks that previously held Sauternes dessert wine from Chateau Suduiraut.

In case your French isn't quite up to speed, "Nectar d'Or" translates to "golden nectar". The nectar under discussion is Sauternes, a white dessert wine from the Bordeaux region. The wine is tremendously sweet, fruity, and has a great deal of acidity which livens up your palate. The Glenmorangie Original has been finished for an additional two years in ex-Sauternes casks to create this bottling. Please note: As of summer 2019, this product is now a no-age statement (NAS) release. Please refer to that NAS bottling in a separate listing.

This Sauternes barrel-finished whiskey from WhistlePig is the first in its Old World series, a trio of wine-cask-finished 12-year-old ryes. Sauternes, a sweet French white wine, has a delicacy that sits on the opposite end of the spectrum from the bold, brawny rye, which is made in Indiana from 95% rye and 5% malted barley, but the wine’s flavors have an impressive impact on the whiskey.