Chattanooga Whiskey Barrel Finishing Series: Islay Scotch Cask Finish

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.

This is great. Earthy smoke, campfire, peat, salt, honey, caramel, malt, some herbal notes, vanilla, some pepper and spice. The peated scotch influence is very present, but it still has a bourbon character in there as well. This the first Chattanooga Whiskey that I have tried, and I am a big fan of this one.

Nose of rich vanilla ice cream and faint hint of ethanol The front of the palate is toasted marshmallow flowing into a mid palate that gives me the sweet vanilla ice cream and the back of the palate has some pepper and spice maybe clove or allspice Finish has a bit of campfire and barrel spice with a medium length. This is very enjoyable but defies a category, its not a bourbon, its not a scotch its really just its own thing and I'm glad I have a bottle, well done Chattanooga

This is my introduction to Chattanooga distillery, and I won’t bury the lede by stating plainly and upfront that it will not be my last. I love Scotch. I’m developing a very deep relationship with bourbon and American whisky. I saw this and realized I had to give it a go. Nose takes some work to hunt out, but is worth it and very unique: Cedar chest, pine tar, powdered candy (runts, or maybe sugar straws?) and a running undercurrent of Old English furniture polish. Push too deep in the glass though and you’ll be quickly reminded this is young, and the ethanol is happy to say hello. Palate opens warm and crawls up the tongue dropping flavors along the way…pine and honey at the front, a splash of salt then caramel at the midway point, and finally a dryness almost like grapefruit at the close, all underscored by smoke and just the faintest bit of peat sweetness. I’ll admit that it took me a while to warm to this. It’s not bourbon. It’s not Scotch. At times it tastes similar to one or the other but that’s as close as it gets. I usually like bourbon for rich sweetness and Scotch for either herbal or meatiness (and of course the peat!), and this is neither. But I’m (now) okay with that, because overall I think it’s pretty damn good.