American Whiskey 14

14 year old american whiskey. Aged in Scotland

Producers of Scotch in Scotland and Bourbon in the United States have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, which offers barrels used once for Bourbon maturation the chance to live a second life maturing spirit distilled in Scotland. The strict requirement for Bourbon to be matured only in virgin American oak resulted in an excess of perfectly reusable barrels, providing a solution to the UK’s shortage of native oak in the 18th century. The subsequent import of ex-Bourbon barrels from the US is a tradition born of necessity, but has formed the backbone of Scotch whisky’s unique and beloved character.

The ‘Born and Bottled’ series from the Perfect Fifth aims to celebrate the long history of cask sharing between the US and Scotland, by selecting single cask whiskies distilled in the United States, and bottling them in the United Kingdom. This 14 year old is a sophisticated, dual heritage well traveled whiskey. One that fuses the character of Kentucky with the environment of Scotland.

This whiskey began as a corn dominant mash in Bardstown, KY. There, it was distilled in a column still, barreled and aged in American oak, and then sent on a journey across the sea.

Region: Kentucky

Bottled Year: 2023

Bottles: 232

Cask Number: 3448490

Vintage: 2009

Strength: 64.4%

DESCRIPTION

A plethora of mixed honey tones, with multiple layers of vanilla and hints of cocoa and light spice. The unique story of this American Whiskey aged in Scotland is definitely evident in this wonderfully complex expression.

Region: kentucky

Just 5% of the world’s Bourbon is made outside of Kentucky, making the region truly the heartland of America’s Bourbon country. It is no surprise, given how the environment nurtures the distillation and maturation of Bourbon: The state sits on blue limestone, which filters out hard iron from the water used in distillation, while imparting sweeter notes with the introduction of calcium and magnesium; Bitterly cold winters swing to blistering summers, bringing wild variations in temperature that allow the casks to breathe during maturation; and the region’s fertile ground is perfect to grow corn, which is absolutely core to the character of real Kentucky Bourbon.

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Distillery: heaven hill

A large proportion of Heaven Hill’s output comes from the Bernheim distillery in downtown Louisville, which the company acquired in 1999. However, this cask was filled at the original Heaven Hill distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Proud to be family-owned and independent, Heaven Hill is one of the most recognisable names in Bourbon, and owns one of the largest collections of whiskey brands in America, a collection which includes flagship labels, Evan Williams and Elijah Craig, and the much-loved Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond. Unlike many other Bourbon producers, Heaven Hill distillery includes wheat in the production of their whiskey, producing a spirit that is exceptionally smooth, and a little less sweet than Bourbons produced with just corn in the mash.