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In order for a spirit to be classified as a whisky, it needs to satisfy a couple of standard requirements, amongst them that it can be bottled at no less than 40% alcohol by volume (ABV). This provides an obstacle for scotch whisky makers aging stocks for prolonged durations, as the temperate environment of Scotland triggers proof to reduce in time. By contrast, the hot, damp summertimes of Kentucky, Tennessee, and in other places in the U.S. cause proof to increase with time as the barrels lose more water than alcohol. Check out Cascade Moon.
Absolutely nothing in whisky is a given, and barrels aging in the U.S. can often see their ABVs decrease. While examining samples for George Dickel’s single barrel program, Cascade Hollow basic supervisor and distiller Nicole Austin found simply that– as barrels that had actually been aging on the lower, cooler tiers of the rickhouse clocked in at 39.9% ABV. Instead of mixing them away with higher-proof stocks, she chose to bottle them as the most recent Cascade Moon release: a 15-year Barrel Proof.
“I remember going on scotch whisky distillery tours and they would point to these super old dusty barrels in the corner and say, ‘That’s not even whisky anymore. Because it’s so low proof.’ And I just thought that was so intriguing and always wanted to taste it,” Austin recalls. “I assume there are other people who share that curiosity. So, this is my way of showing them.”
Whereas Austin needs to think about the storied tradition of the Dickel name when crafting those scotches, the Cascade Moon series is a playground for her to experiment, check out, and display the variety of spirits she’s producing in Tullahoma, a few of which would not suit more conventional lineups.
“I think there’s an awesome place in the world for just a reliable, fairly priced everyday spirit. And that’s really hard to do, but we’re more than that,” she says. “We can also do many other things and that’s part of the conversation with Cascade Moon.”
How Low Can You Go Cascade?
Barrel-proof bourbons with ABVs in the 60% variety are treasured by bourbon enthusiasts who value unfiltered and uncut products. By contrast, whiskies bottled at the lower end of the spectrum are usually considered more flavorful alternatives for novices. With the release of 15 years old Barrel Proof, which is technically considered a Spirit Distilled from Grain, Austin intends to not just launch something that’s generally friendly but likewise to challenge the concept that high-proof spirits are naturally more intricate.
“I’ve always been, I guess, a little bit defiant, a little bit questioning, a little bit of a challenging person. But out of love,” Austin says, noting that the more time she’s spent making whiskey, the more she believes in promoting joy and not judgment. “The best outcome for this whiskey would be to start hopefully swinging the pendulum back in the other direction, not so much in seeking low proof, but just in helping people step away from some of the dogmatic approach to whiskey.”
Unlike the majority of 40% ABV whiskies, this brand-new Cascade Moon release is bottled at barrel evidence and bears a 15-year age statement. “This is the natural whiskey as it exists,” Austin says. “I wasn’t really intending it for low ABV cocktails or something. I was more intending it just to be a point of interest, a conversation, hopefully to surprise people in what they thought was true.”
An early taste exposes buttered popcorn, banana bread, and lemon wafers on the nose; with a peppery, a little bitter taste of hay and peanut shells.
At $125, Austin acknowledges the barrier to entry might be high for some, however states that is the nature of launching uncommon spirits in small quantities. Previous Cascade Moon releases have actually consisted of Edition No. 1 (88 points), which was influenced by gose-style beer; Edition No. 2 (92 points), which honored 150 years of George Dickel; and more just recently, a 13 years of age Indiana-made rye bourbon (88 points).
After Edition No. 2, Austin chose to drop the mathematical buying of the Cascade Moon releases. While she was honored that some were beginning to gather the series, she acknowledged that the numbers may cultivate the sort of competitive buying that she intends to prevent. (She likewise is sorry for that those scotches weren’t more commonly readily available, as they were dispersed to just 3 states– Texas, California, and Tennessee). And as is the nature of these experiments, she states that not all of them come out as prepared or in sequential order.
“I learned really quickly that they don’t all work and they certainly don’t all work on the schedule that I think that they will,” she says. “I didn’t want to be beholden to releasing things in a particular order. I just wanted to be able to make decisions on quality alone.”
H/T WhiskyAdvocate
