For our “Dual Cask” Gin, we seek the smoothness and mouth feel that oak aging imparts, but in a crisp, clean, New World style. To accomplish our goal, we do a secondary barrel infusion of hand-harvested Holy Basil, Lemon Verbena and Rosemary grown locally in Shenandoah County. The interplay of floral aromatics and herbal flavors with the richness of “Dual Cask” aging make our Gin unique in the marketplace.
Today, I am reviewing a limited release from the D.C.-based company, Filibuster. Filibuster is mostly known for their “Dual Cask” series, which features a bourbon and a rye, both of which involved sourced whiskey finished in French Oak ex-wine casks (neither of which have I tried). However, Filibuster recently released Batch 1 of their limited release, “Triple Cask.”
Dual Cask aging is what makes our small batch whiskies stand apart from the crowd. Whiskey derives its deep golden color, signature aroma and smooth flavors of vanilla, caramel and spice from aging in fully charred American White oak barrels, or “casks”. This aging process has long been the heart and soul of good whiskey.
Rye Whiskey is the quintessential American whiskey. At the turn of the last century, distilleries flourished in the east – especially in Western Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. Rye was the grain of choice, as it made light, spicy whisky that was fabulous neat, or in a cocktail – the original Manhattan recipe calls for Rye…think sweet and spicy.
Today top-quality American Rye is being demanded by whiskey drinkers once again, and Filibuster is making sure their voices are heard! We blend small batches of traditionally-crafted spicy young rye whiskey with a bit of barrel aged bourbon for balance, and let ‘em talk it out for a few months in wine-seasoned French oak casks before bottling. The result is our Dual Cask Rye a unique whiskey that showcases Rye’s firey spice, but is uncommonly smooth going down. This unique process takes more time, and cost more money, but we think the results speak for themselves.