The Hearach Oloroso Cask Matured is the second everlasting expression inside The Hearach single malt vary. It was launched precisely one 12 months after the distillery’s inaugural single malt on 24 September 2023.
It’s the identical frivolously peated whisky (12-15 ppm), now matured in first fill Oloroso casks. The inaugural launch was a mixture of bourbon, Oloroso and Fino casks. To date so good, however I’ve two vital remarks on this bottling.
Sherry casks come from Jerez alone
First, I observed the label doesn’t state Oloroso Sherry, solely Oloroso. That often signifies the casks have been sourced from Montilla, Huelva or Malaga – areas which are allowed to provide Oloroso-style wines. Nonetheless they’ll’t be named Oloroso sherry wines as a result of Sherry is a protected designation of origin, restricted to the area round Jerez de la Frontera. On the web site, they confer with cask suppliers José y Miguel Martín and so they speak of “casks coopered in Huelva“. Then again in addition they point out ‘Oloroso sherry‘ in texts. If the casks have been in reality seasoned with correct Oloroso sherry, then I don’t see why they wouldn’t repeat this (relatively extra prestigious) declare on the official label? Intentionally obscure?
Be happy to learn my article on sherry casks for the whisky business, for those who haven’t completed so already. Loads has improved when it comes to transparency since I wrote it in 2017, however the info nonetheless stands.
My second downside lies within the idealised imagery they use in advertising. The distillery solely makes use of footage of historic black solera casks, and a bodega that I acknowledge because the Covijerez cooperative. These picturesque photographs clearly depict casks that maintain ingesting sherry however I’m by no means satisfied these are those used to mature this whisky. It’s secure to imagine they used the ubiquitous seasoned casks, that are 1 or 2 years previous as a substitute of 25-100 years just like the black casks in these overly romantic photographs. I requested Isle of Harris distillers on Twitter whether or not they actually used this sort of historic ex-bodega cask, however I didn’t get a solution.
It’s all about transparency certainly
Isle of Harris explains “We need to be clear and consider it’s vital for whisky drinkers to know what’s of their dram” so I believe they should keep vital to themselves about how they current their Oloroso (sherry?) casks to customers.
The primary picture is Isle of Harris’ presentation of what their sherry casks seem like (taken from their web site). I’ve added the following picture to provide you an concept of what J&M Martín’s trendy seasoning premises actually seem like. Thoughts that just about each whisky distillery is utilizing the identical handful of cask suppliers, and there’s nothing incorrect with how these sherry casks are produced. Nonetheless I believe you shouldn’t simply use footage that confer with centuries-old bodegas and the normal manufacturing of sherry wines while you’re speaking concerning the trendy (rapidly seasoned) sherry casks. Totally different industries. We wouldn’t settle for photographs of horses with ploughs and windmills both to clarify how barley for whisky is produced, proper?
Many distilleries are generally blurring the traces of their advertising, by the way in which, so the issue goes past this explicit launch. Rant over. Now onto the whisky.
The Hearach First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured (46%, OB 2024, 12.100 btl.)
Nostril: mildly sherried, with a spicy layer of cinnamon and kitchen cabinets with herb jars, mixing properly with the minty peat smoke within the background. Roasted thyme, together with some recent oak shavings. Then hints of walnuts and chocolate. For a first-fill sherry bottling it’s relatively light-weight, however nonetheless properly balanced.
Mouth: a natural sort of peatiness once more (mint / eucalyptus), with very gentle ashes however not a deeply smoky profile. That is matched to some caramel sweetness, extra walnuts and hints of orange peels. Softly roasted Mediterranean herbs once more, together with gentle hints of vanilla. Then gentle liquorice and black peppercorns. Darkish honey and delicate leathery notes in direction of the tip.
End: somewhat quick maybe, however nonetheless very balanced. Hints of cocoa and liquorice, with barely tangy clove and heat ashes ultimately.
So there: regardless of reservations concerning the advertising, the whisky itself is basically convincing. In truth this raises the bar in comparison with the inaugural launch. You shouldn’t anticipate a sherry bomb, however the Oloroso affect enhances the comfortable peat very well.
Accessible from The Whisky Change or Royal Mile Whiskies and loads of different retailers. There appear to be not less than 4 batches directly, distributed to totally different markets. Some retailers like TyndrumWhisky point out the precise batch quantity, others don’t. I’m not fully certain what the variations are anyway.
