Whisky Review, House Drams, 3 Years and a Day – Glenfiddich, IPA Cask
*The following samples were gifted to us by the team at House Drams, as a part of their ‘3 years and a day‘ tasting pack, all opinions are our own*
Earlier this year the team at House Drams reached out to us on Instagram, offering us the opportunity to try one of their tasting boxes. Obviously we jumped at the chance! Having recently enjoyed a number of very-young and NAS whiskies (we’re looking at you Cardrona Just Hatched, and Raasay Na Sia!) the ‘3 Years and a Day’ selection sounded right up our street. Over the next few posts we will be sharing our tasting notes from the box, as well as sharing our honest thoughts on the set-up from House Drams.
House Drams …
Just like The Dram Duo, House Drams began as a lockdown project. Creating their own virtual whisky tasting events, and sharing their love for whisky with friends and family. Quickly this blossomed into a business – “provide superb drams and discuss them in a way that is approachable, down-to-earth and informative”.
A team of three passionate whisky drinkers, they curate their tasting sets to reflect best-in-class drams, and create a whisky journey. Each pack contains informative cards, covering distillery history and even pronunciation! They have a number of curated tasting sets including: ‘Orthodox Regions’, ‘Unorthodox Regions’, and ‘What a Finish!’.
3 Years and a Day …
It is no secret that here at The Dram Duo we are big fans of experimental finishes and maturations. We both have a soft spot for wine-influenced whisky, and have even found ourselves gushing over only-just-ready releases. House Drams describe their 3 Years and a Day box as – “aim[ing] to show the quality that exists within non age-statement whisky and shows that age, in whisky, is just a number!”.
Whiskies included:
- Glenfiddich IPA Cask, Experimental Series (43%)
- Tullibardine 500 Sherry Cask Finish (43%)
- Glenfarclas 105 (60%)
- The Glenrothes Whisky Makers Cut (48.8%)
- Ardbeg An Oa (46.6%)
Glenfiddich IPA Cask, Experimental Series
This single malt expression spent three months finishing in casks that had previously held IPA. The IPA was specially brewed by the Speyside Craft Brewery, before spending a month maturing in casks that had previously held Glenfiddich spirit. A special collaboration between Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman and IPA expert Seb Jones.
Glenfiddich Distillery
The Glenfiddich Distillery has a full and exciting history. Opened in 1887, following 12 months of building by William Grant and his family, the first spirit left their copper stills on Christmas Day of that year. Meaning ‘valley of the deer’ in Gaelic, Glenfiddich has broken many records, and impacted the history books in a number of ways. Including in 2011, when they honoured Scotland’s oldest women – Janet Sheed Roberts – with one of the most expensive bottles of whisky every sold!
Tasting Notes
“Malt Master Brian Kinsman has proven that traditional whisky casks can still be seasoned in a pioneering way..”
Nose: lots of orchard fruits particularly apple skin, honey, hints of strawberries and cream sweets and vanilla
Palate: creamy vanilla ice cream with apple crumble, tart berries and honeycomb
Finish: peppery spice, followed by wood chips with caramelised apple
This is a great Summer dram. The creamy mouthfeel is balanced nicely by the peppery spice and sweetness from apples. Summer fruits and vanilla ice-cream are ever present, evoking thoughts of warm Summer nights. We were pleasantly surprised by this dram, and the direction the IPA finishing takes a Glenfiddich spirit.
We’re really looking forward to seeing where the rest of this tasting set goes. We’d love to know what you think of the use of experimental casks in whisky. Are you a fan? Or do you prefer the more classic flavours of bourbon/sherry casks?
Share your opinions in the comments below!
*The above samples were gifted to us by the team at House Drams, as a part of their ‘3 years and a day‘ tasting pack, all opinions are our own*
The Dram Duo 
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