UK distillery White Peak has released a limited edition whisky to coincide with the festive season: Wire Works Virgin Oak Finish.
The bottling brings ‘new flavour layers to the core house style’ of Wire Works whisky, with ‘rich, spicy notes’ developed from its maturation in American oak.
The virgin Oak Finish is a vatting of lightly peated single malt whisky, initially matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels, then finished for several months in virgin American oak barrels.
Only 3,000 bottles will be released. On the nose, the liquid presents aromas of leather, caramelised brown sugar, toffee, cinnamon buns and vanilla fudge. The palate delivers flavours of mace, milk chocolate and sandalwood, while the finish contains notes of baked apple, fresh cherries and toasted wood.
Clocking in at 51.7% ABV, the 700ml whisky retails for RRP £67 (US$79.64).
In August this year, White Peak distillery auctioned 12 bottles of its inaugural Wire Works whisky, which was released in February.
Earlier this year, 16 distillers came together to form the English Whisky Guild (EWG), and proposed a geographical indication (GI) for English whisky.
The call for a GI began in order to “protect the future of English whisky, and also support the differentiation between different whiskies”, according to the director of the EWG, Tagore Ramoutar.
American single malt producers are also seeking a definition for the protection of their product, and are still awaiting the go-ahead from the government’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).