The team at the Darkness has put together a phenomenal collection of sherry cask whiskies from distilleries including Bowmore, Glenrothes, and the Dalmore plus a mystery bourbon from Tennessee that’s exclusive to Master of Malt. It’s the Darkness Sherry Collection!
They’ve been at the sherry over at the Darkness. No, we don’t mean knocking back the Harvey’s Bristol Cream with their elevenses. They’ve just landed some fascinating whiskies from Scotland and two from Tennessee. All of them have been finished in octave casks which are an eighth of the size of a standard sherry butt – around 64 litres. This means more wood and, most importantly, more sherry! The casks used include ones seasoned with PX, Oloroso and Moscatel – a rare kind of sherry that’s generally used for sweetening blends.
So, if you love a sherry bomb, you’re going to love the Darkness Sherry Collection. These are all limited editions in 50cl bottles. Once they’re sold out, they’re gone, never to return. Here’s what you can buy. If you’re quick enough.
The Darkness Sherry Collection
Tennessee Rye 5 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish (Darkness)
Sherried rye whiskey isn’t something you see every day, but that’s exactly what we’ve got here. This is a five-year-old rye from an undisclosed distillery in Tennessee, which has been given a finishing period in Pedro Ximénez sherry octave casks before bottling at 49.6% ABV. The PX brings notes of chocolate and molasses to those classic spicy American rye flavours of chilli, mint and caraway.
Tennessee Bourbon 12 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish (Darkness) (Master of Malt Exclusive)
Another mystery distillery! They do love a mystery over at the Darkness. It’s a 12-year-old Tennessee bourbon finished in Oloroso sherry octave casks! This has introduced a huge dollop of rich, intense sherried notes to the spirit while keeping its distinctive vanilla and baking spice at the core. Always fascinating to see whisky from the USA go through similar finishing processes as expressions from closer to home. 52.4% ABV. This is a Master of Malt exclusive!
Dalmore 14 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish (Darkness)
Dalmore is another famously sherried single malt but this is a Dalmore with bells on after finishing in Oloroso sherry octave casks and bottled at a punchy 49.1% ABV. Expect flavours of stewed apples, fresh ginger, loads of dried fruit notes with a dusting of cinnamon and waves of chocolatey sweetness, toffee, orange peel rum, and raisin.
Bowmore 18 Year Old Moscatel Cask Finish (Darkness)
There’s something magical about the mixture of smoke and sherry, and for our money, nobody does it better than Bowmore, and this is a particularly special offering from the Islay distillery. It’s an 18-year-old single malt finished in sweet floral Moscatel casks, and bottled at 54.9% ABV. With its flavours of salted lemons, toasted almonds, tobacco and sea breeze, this is a malt worth saving for special occasions.
Whitlaw 16 Year Old Moscatel Cask Finish (Darkness)
Whitlaw is the name used for an undisclosed Orkney distillery. Seeing as until very recently there were only two distilleries on Orkney, then you don’t have to be Charlie Maclean to take a guess at where this comes from. It was aged in Moscatel casks and bottled at 55% ABV. We think you will enjoy its combination of delicate coastal peatiness with orange peel, vanilla and Christmas pudding.
Benrinnes 14 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish (Darkness)
Benrinnes is based in Aberlour in the heart of Speyside. It’s in the Diageo stable and most of its whisky goes into blends like Johnnie Walker though there is a classic 14 year Flora & Fauna bottling. This Darkness offering is the same age but finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry octaves and comes in at a punchy 55.3% ABV. Expect to find notes of vanilla, biscuits, chocolate peanuts, dried cherry, and mince pie filling.
Blair Athol 14 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish (Darkness)
The picturesque Pitlochry-based distillery is owned by Diageo and lies close to Edradour. It is unconnected with the similarly spelt town, Blair Atholl. This expression matured for 14 years, and enjoyed a finishing period in Oloroso sherry octave casks, which bring flavours of chocolate with flashes of tangy red fruit, plums, pine cones and softly earthy malt. It’s bottled at 52% ABV.
Glenrothes 12 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish (Darkness)
And finishing up The Darkness Sherry collection, it’s a single malt from Glenrothes. Whisky from this Speyside distillery does go particularly well with sherry casks. This particular 12-year-old single malt was given a finishing period in Oloroso sherry octave casks, offering a whole host of rich dried fruit and festive spice notes to the whisky. It was bottled at 61.1% ABV.