Caskstrength — Malthound

Alphabet Dram – Caskstrength Creative Release a Limited Edition Blended Whisky

March 28, 2013 by Gary Leave a Comment

Caskstrength Cutty Sark with bag and paper

Master of Malt is continuing our education with the release of a limited edition blended whisky from drinks writers Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley: Caskstrength and Carry On Cutty Sark.

The third instalment in the growing alphabet range of spirits is also the first blend in the collection. This limited edition bottling is available exclusively through Master of Malt.

Their successful ‘A’ and ‘B’ releases in the Caskstrength A-Z of Whisky (single malt Scotch whiskies from the Isle of Arran and BenRiach distillery, respectively), Neil and Joel chose to partner with the world famous brand Cutty Sark to try their hand at creating a blend.

With guidance from Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell, they have produced a distinctive whisky to coincide with the 90th anniversary of Cutty Sark, which was launched on the 23rd of March, 1923.

Each of the 500 bottles has been hand-signed by Neil Ridley, Joel Harrison and Kirsteen Campbell.

The first 100 purchases of Caskstrength and Carry On Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky include an accompanying “Cask Strength and Carry On” cotton bag which has been specially printed for this release.
Also included in the first hundred bottles is an edition of “The Daily Cargo”, a collectible newspaper which includes articles from industry experts as well as photographs, cocktail recipes, and a glimpse into the creative and wacky minds of Neil Ridley and Joel Harrison themselves.

Tasting Notes for: Caskstrength and Carry On (Cutty Sark) – 51.40% – £34.95

Nose: Creaminess and light butter supplement golden raisins and flower stems. Some hints of citrus.

Palate: Warming pepper comes to the fore; a result of the high abv. Pepper subsides quickly to reveal Demerara sugar and an unmistakable Lemon Meringue Pie. Just a whisper of smoke.

Finish: Pleasant and more-ish. More smoke becomes apparent but doesn’t dilute the lemon, cream, or sugar. This is an easy dram for such strength.

Overall: The drinkability belies the strength! Easy to sip neat but also stands up to water and cocktails. Versatile and utterly approachable.

Master Of Malt ‘Carry On’ & announce limited edition bottling by BenRiach and Caskstrength.net

August 21, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

CaskStrength.net - Tote Bag

Drinks writers Neil Ridley and Joel Harrison of Caskstrength.net have teamed up with BenRiach whisky distillery to produce a single cask, 16 year old Benriach Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

This limited edition bottling is available only through Master of Malt.

Working directly with BenRiach, Messrs. Ridley & Harrison have hand selected a single cask to release this limited edition run of 296 bottles.

The whisky was distilled in 1996, aged for 16 years including 4 years in a Pedro Ximenez sherry cask, and bottled in July of 2012. The whisky is a single cask whisky (cask #5614) and was bottled at cask strength at 55.2% abv.

This bottling represents the second in a series of ‘A-Z’ bottlings to be released by Caskstrength.net.
Their first release was an Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky and sold out in a matter of days on Master of Malt. The Arran release has since become a collectors’ item and has tripled in price in the past year.

CaskStrength.net - BenRiach Bottle

Each 70cl bottle is labelled with the ‘Cask Strength and Carry On’ logo, is individually numbered, and is hand signed by both Mr. Ridley and Mr. Harrison.

The first 50 bottles will be sold with a limited edition ‘Cask Strength and Carry On’ cotton carrier bag.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Toffee sweetness and Werther’s Originals spring out of the gate. The PX finishing is extremely apparent with brown sugar and Christmastime notes with a hint of salted caramel and just a whisper of granny’s old baking-and-spice cabinet.

Palate: Rich, dark, and dried fruits roll down like an avalanche and lead into a river of caramel and toffee. Some soft potpourri and candied lemon peel pops up its head but doesn’t overpower. Begins elegantly and reveals a more powerful flavour with time.

Finish: Long and lingering, it carries the salted caramel through to the back of the throat for a pleasantly drying finish thanks to the Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

Caskstrength.net - Neil & Joel Signing Bottles

Caskstrength.net is First Blog to Launch Own Whisky

June 28, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

“Caskstrength and Carry On”

To celebrate its 3rd birthday, the award-winning whisky blog Caskstrength.net has released a very special limited edition, single malt whisky from the Isle of Arran Distillery. This is the first time a blog has launched its own whisky, and it is made all the more exclusive as the Scotch is from a single cask that yielded just 92 bottles, which are set to sell out very quickly.

Caskstrength.net was founded in early 2008 by two former rival A&R men working at Warner Bros and Island Records respectively. They created their blog to share their love of whisky with friends, but since then it has grown beyond all expectation, and now they regularly travel around the world to write about new whiskies and distilleries for publications including Whisky Magazine, The Chap, Imbibe and Aston Martin Magazine, as well as conducting high profile tastings and running the very popular whisky competition “Best in Glass” which celebrates the year’s best new releases.

Their first official whisky “Caskstrength and Carry On” was drawn from a single first fill bourbon cask (number 1554) which was filled in 1998 and bottle in May 2011. There are just 92 bottles from the cask, all of which were bottled undiluted at 49.9%abv. The whisky is retailing for £48.95, and it is exclusively available from online retailer Master of Malt.