Hinch Craft & Casks Imperial Stout Finish

By Barry Bradford on December 9, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

What they say

Hinch “Craft & Casks”, is a partnership between our Distillery and Irish Craft breweries to create distinctly different beer barrel aged whiskies.
Our Imperial Stout Finish whiskey uses casks which aged craft beers at the Whitewater Brewery in Co Down, sitting in the shadows of the Mourne Mountains. Their Kreme de la Kremlin Imperial Stout brings orchard fruits and a luxurious mouthfeel of light toffee, coffee, vanilla sweetness with cinnamon spice to follow. Our whiskey was aged in the craft beer casks for a minimum of 12 months. A modern and bold move for the whiskey lovers proudly made in County Down.
https://www.hinchdistillery.com/whiskey/craft-casks-irish-whiskey-imperial-stout-finish

What I say

Sampled during the #HinchDistillery Tweet tasting held in May 2021. This is produced from sourced 4 Year Old Irish Blended Whiskey omprised of 75% Grain and 25% Malt whiskeys is then finished in selected beer casks as part of Hinch’s Craft & Casks range – in this case Imperial Stout produced by Whitewater Brewery located in Co. Down. The team at Hinch are using this to experiment with the effects of different beer casks to apply at a later date to their own matured whiskey.

ABV 43%
Age 4 Years Old
Bottler Hinch
Bottling Craft & Casks
Cask Imperial Stout
Category Irish Blended Whiskey
Cost $42
Origin undeclared
Outturn 1500 bottles
Region Ireland
Released 2021
Vintage undisclosed

My tasting notes

Appearance Amber gold (8/20)
Nose Chocolate, Cocoa and vanilla, coffee notes, banana bread with chocolate chips and walnuts, maraschino cherries later.
Taste Sweeter, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate sauce, cola bottle sweeties, ginger, sappy cedar wood, clove oil
Finish Long, touches of eucalyptus, lime and menthol but still a dark sweetness treacle toffee? This is really lovely like my favourite chocolate limes sweeties
Overall My favourite from the tasting. The Imperial Stout casks have generated not only chocolate and coffee notes but also fruit and some herbal notes too.