The Truth About Cask Strength Scotch (And 5 You Should Buy)

Cask-strength whiskey. There is something so magical about it, isn't there? Something so lovely about drinking whiskey as it comes out the cask without having any water added. But cask-strength does not necessarily mean that the whiskey itself is definitely going to be good. In fact, high-strength whiskey can accentuate flaws in the whiskey as well as amplify good flavour. There are some really, really good cask-strength whiskies out there and there are some that I don't like as much. So what I've done today is I have compiled a list of five cask-strength whiskeys that I think every whiskey lover should have on their shelf. And if you have these five, you never need a cask-strength whiskey ever again. Let's start with arguably the most famous one on this list and that is Abelour Abunard. Now, the name actually means the original in garlic and it's a tribute to its founder, James Fleming. It's a small batch, no age statemented release. So the ABV does vary batch to batch, but it is bottled at cask-strength. Now this is the classic sherry bomb in this lineup. Abelour Abunard is one of those bottles that introduced a huge number of people to cask-strength whiskey and it is very much an indulgent whiskey. It has a flavour profile of raisins and dark fruit and medjool dates and coffee and it's sweet and syrupy and it has this gorgeously thick texture that just gives you that little bit of something to almost chew on. What I like about this bottle is that the strength very much makes sense for the style of whiskey. Abelour Abunard is not supposed to be this kind of delicate, refined whiskey. It's supposed to be this sort of unapologetically rich, very indulgent, special tasting whiskey and that high cask-strength just makes total sense here. Now there is batch variation as I mentioned, so the ABV does vary batch to batch and to be honest, neat. It can be a lot and this is a big misconception about cask-strength whiskey. People think you shouldn't add water. I actually think exactly the opposite. The whiskey that you're trying has not had any water added which means you get the privilege of diluting it to an alcohol percentage that you enjoy. You get to try it as it is exactly how it comes from the cask but then you get to add a drop of water at a time and see what flavours open up and that is what I love about cask-strength whiskey. I think with Abunard specifically when you add, you know, a drop of water at a time it allows the individual flavours to shine more rather than just sort of one almost wall of just sherry in your face. Let me know if you know what I mean by that but that's just my experience. I think if your idea of a great whiskey is Christmas cake and chocolate and lots of warming spice, Abunard is a great, great bottle and it deserves its hype. Okay, for bottle number two let's move over from Speyside Cherry all the way to Islay Pete with Laphroaig 10 cask-strength. Now Laphroaig is obviously one of the most distinctive and recognisable tastes in scotch whiskey. The standard Laphroaig 10 is obviously bottled at a much lower ABV than the cask-strength editions although the cask-strength bottles do vary slightly again batch by batch. The standard edition obviously has a lot of those very Laphroaig notes, you know, the seaweed and the obviously smokiness and the brininess. I just find that the cask-strength versions have this flavour underneath that brings a lot more sweetness, brings a lot more texture, almost citrusy notes that are a lot more pronounced and I think that's also something that people miss in cask-strength whiskey because people think that if you try a whiskey that's higher strength it's just going to be sort of the same flavour profile but a bit stronger or a bit more intense but actually when you have a whiskey at a higher ABV sometimes you do get notes that you don't taste at all when it has a lower ABV or when it's been watered down but I think it's important to remember that that can definitely go both ways and I think that the cask-strength Laphroaig 10 you do get that sweetness and that texture a lot more. It is enormous neat there is no point pretending otherwise but I like to add water very slowly to the Laphroaig 10 cask-strength and I think as you add drops sort of that that sweetness almost unfolds and the smoke becomes kind of aromatic rather than just very forceful. I think that's really nice. Obviously if you're going to try this bottle you need to really like smoke so if you don't like smoky whiskey it's not going to be one for you but if you do like smoky whiskey I think I do think the Laphroaig 10 cask-strength is a really really great bottle to have on your shelf. The next bottle is also from Islay but stylistically it could not be more different because I am talking about the Benihavn 12 cask-strength. If you didn't know Benihavn is very well known for producing unpeated whiskey on Islay which is very unusual and very few distilleries do that. What I love about Benihavn is the fact that they really are able to translate the presence of Islay into their whiskey. You really do get coastal notes and oily notes and salty notes just without the smoke. To me it's really fascinating. The 12 year old cask-strength has become a bit of a cult favourite I would say. It's oily and it's nutty and it's fruity. It's bottled at around 56% ABV I believe but again it can vary slightly batch to batch. It's got dried fruit notes and kind of nutty almost marzipan-y notes and plum notes but still very much has the distillery character underneath it. Again that saltiness that kind of Islay you know texture to it. I really like the standard Benihavn 12 as well and I think it's really fun to try these side by side. I think it's just it's fascinating to see what that extra bit of strength can do for the whiskey. It's great because obviously you can't take away water from the standard Benihavn 12 but you can add water to the cask-strength edition so I think that's really fun. The fourth whiskey is from a distillery that actually I have been really loving recently and I feel like they have debuted in a lot of my videos recently and that is from Benromac and it's a blend of single malt whiskeys from different Benromac casks all distilled in 2014. As with some of the other whiskeys in this video the ABV can vary from batch to batch. Typically they use bourbon and sherry casks and what really does not change is the Benromac character that shines through. What I love about Benromac is that they have a subtle smokiness that they use in their whiskeys and I think it makes it really distinctive and unique. It's not what you see often in Speyside these days but it is very traditional and I love that they use that very old-school Speyside style to this day. The whiskeys tend to be very almost creamy. They have a beautiful texture on them. They are fruity and light but they have that subtle smoke running through them underneath and I think it makes for a really gorgeous balance. I think we spoke about the Abunud which is obviously very intensely sherried and rich and then we spoke about the Laphroaig which is very peaty and smoky and what's nice about the Benromac is that it sits firmly in the middle of those two and it is fruity and sweet and light but it is also savoury and that little bit smoky and I think it makes for a really nice medium. Again it's another bottle that I would add water very slowly and just experience how the whiskey changes and what difference each drop can make. I love that this whiskey has intensity without relying on heavy sherry or heavy peat. I think it just it sits in its own lane and I really really like that. Cheers by the way! I've spoken for too long without drinking a drop of my whiskey so slancha. And finally we are going over to Campbelltown. I feel like I could very easily put Springbank 12 Car Strength on this list and that would be an ideal bottle to have on your shelf but we all know what Springbank bottles can be like. They can be difficult to find, they can be extremely expensive so I am giving you a different Campbelltown bottle that really does capture that Campbelltown thunk and that Campbelltown texture and a brilliant taste but it's easier to find and you're not gonna have to sell your kidney to buy it. Glen Scotia Victoriana is a non-age-statemented Car Strength bottle bottled at 54.2% ABV. It matured in first and second fill bourbon casks and then some of it is finished in heavily charred bourbon casks and PX sherry bouts. That combination gives the whiskey a lot to work with, you know, you get that caramelised sweetness, you get the dark fruit, you get the spice, you get the vanilla, you get the berry notes and obviously you get the slightly oily Campbelltown thunk as we like to call it. That kind of textural, very distinctive Campbelltown thing going on. It's not as overtly funky as some of the other bottles from the region but it still definitely feels distinctively characterful. There is richness from the finishing casks but there's also savoury coastal edge that stops it from kind of being too cloying. It is very bold and layered and balanced and I think it definitely is deserving of its place in this lineup, would you think? I've actually had quite a lot of comments from you guys who have also tried this whiskey and have also thoroughly enjoyed it. So there you have it, those are five cask strength whiskeys that I think every scotch lover should have on their shelf. Let me know which bottles you would add to this list. Also I have done now five sherry cask whiskies that every scotch lover should have on their shelf and now I've done this cask strength edition but let me know if you want me to do the smoky version because I think that's next on my list unless you have any other suggestions and then obviously I'd love to hear those in the comments. If you haven't subscribed to this channel already please do so that you know every time I release a new video. I'll see you on the next one, hope you have a good rest of your day, follow for more!