Chattanooga Whiskey Barrel Finishing Series: Islay Scotch Cask Finish

Rich oak, mild caramel, cherry/apple, cereal, then earthiness appear and bring a sweeter smoke, slightest amount of brine/salinity, baking spices galorez the finish is medium to long and mostly consists of a moderate peat but there is baking spice and a corn sweetness that follows as well. This is a nice way to dip your toes into the world of peat, althought ive been spoiled by my many ventures into islay whisky that this prob wouldny be my first choice. besides that for the pricepoint, and the uniqueness and work put into the whiskey i think its great!

Nose: sweet smoke (that was my prison name), cherries Palate: tastes like scotch (more peaty on the palate) with a very little bot of bourbon sweetness in the back Finish: short and smokey Overall: If I wanted to drink bourbon, I would not drink this since it tastes basically like a little sweeter scotch. It’s not to say it’s bad though.

I went to a Bourbon and American Whiskey tasting party, where i got the opportunity to taste some rare expressions, and one of them was a Chattanooga Whiskey, my first from this Tennessee distillery, but this one was very special, because it was matured in an Islay Scotch Cask. I have already told you that after studying the subject a lot, peat ppm does not come from "peated water" or charred casks, but from kilning peat to smoke the barley. Having said that, an Islay Cask can't give enough peat ppm by only imparting the flavors and aromas that have sticked into the oak staves. But this whiskey is about to prove me wrong. On the nose, it has the peat aroma i love!, wet Converse shoes; cigarrette, smoke and actual peat. It resembles a lot to an Ardmore which is mildly peated. On the palate, crushed almonds. Smoke in a very aromatic way, it reminds me a lot to a Bowmore. Cotton. Aftertaste is delicious. Smoke, raisins, tamed aromatic peat and hospital gauze and tape. Overall, a surprising whiskey, i really had no expectations out of this one and i got impressed by it. It is obvious that the peaty profile has come from the Islay cask, that imparted a mild appearance of peat. Nice dram, my score for it is 92 over 100.

For our quarterly virtual tasting with @PBMichiganWolverine , @ctbeck11 , @Richard-ModernDrinking and @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington , @PBMichiganWolverine was kind enough to treat us to a round the world assortment of drams. First was a single cask IB 14 year Tamdhu (Scotland) Second was the 2022 Chichibu Peated Edition (Japan) Third was the Chattanooga Islay Finish (America) that was bottled at 47.5% ABV. The nose is a mildly rich and smoky treat that the creamy caramel and stewed fruits are upfront but underscored by a mild smoke that fades to chocolate covered candied nuts and light leather with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel with the mild smoke upfront with a light bitterness that fades to butterscotch caramel over flambéed apples followed by freshly lit pipe tobacco and light flinty minerality then mildly sour and creamy citrus that transitions to mildly bitter black tea with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length starting mildly smoky that fades to the background as the creamy fruits emerge along with butterscotch caramel and mild earthy notes. This poor dram came after the Chichibu and was a hard transition that the smoke was hard to find after a very smokey dram and tasted mildly astringent. Revisiting it tonight by itself allows for the smoke and flavors to really shine through and I'm very impressed by what the team at Chattanooga accomplished with the Islay cask adding mild smokey notes that are balanced with those traditional bourbon flavors. Now I am hopeful that they will take this experiment to the next stage and release a cask strength version for some of us proof hounds, as I'd love to try this as a bigger, bolder and richer edition.

I liked this when I first opened it, but it turned after half a year. I'm not sure why with two thirds of the bottle, it would go bad. Dirt and old oak notes indeed.

Sweet bourbon flavors with a smoky scotch layer especially prominent on the finish, tied together by the malty, grainy Chattanooga foundation. Phenomenal stuff neat, and takes an old fashioned to the next level.

Tried neat thanks to @Looneyhead On the nares its spicy and slight peaty with notes of tobacco and slight leather. On the palate its earthy with notes of strong leather, wood sticks, fireplace, and peat. I added a few drops of water which made it not as hot but still very peaty and dirt tasting with a sofe old old wood woth holes in it. Meh.

This is not what I expected. I expected a layer of peat over a sweet corny bourbon. Those flavors are in the mix, but as others have suggested, this is more than the sum of its parts. It's vegetal, sweet, earthy, vanilla, woody, briny, smoky. And somehow it doesn't just taste like a poorly planned infinity bottle. It works and it's interesting and enjoyable. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample!

If all you had your entire life were hamburgers, hotdogs, and plain spaghetti, you’d be in an awakening when you have masala curry, ceviche , sushi, or schezuan. The overload of flavors will introduce you to a wild ride. I remember in one of Trevor Noah’s standup comedies—-he said as a kid, all he had was some grilled chicken for lunch. But one day, his friend introduced him to curry chickpeas and buttery garlic naan. That opened up a whole new world of flavors and experiences beyond what he was normally used to. That’s like this whiskey here. The Islay casking brings a range of flavors so unique and wild, you sort of wonder if it’s really American whiskey in your glass. Nose isn’t Islay. It’s not American. It’s something else. Sweet, no wait…tabacco shop? Wait. No. Salty sea spray. Palette is just as wild. Ashy, barbecue, some sweet corn…cigars. Wow. This is a must try. It’s my first exposure to Chattanooga, but this experiment of theirs is a home run. I’m not sure if it’s repeatable…a lot has to do with those unique casks they got a hold of. If you see this—-buy on sight. For a mere $65, this is a MUST BUY.