Ralfy, I am a Makers Mark Bourbon Ambassador! I have my name on a barrel currently in maturation. In about 4 years I will get a tour of the distillery and purchase a bottle from my barrel! So much fun. Thanks for the very informative series. Enjoyed it.
I too am age-ing my own whisky. Alas, the new make, if AT ALL available, is customarily more expensive than a 12 year-old single malt. Well, what we did: we bought a large cask of new-make from a whisky-dealer (provided we were not allowed to name the source) and split it - and even then it's not cheap. I've been maturing single malts in a number of miniature casks (2l) of American oak - cause I don't have the patience, really. These casks I "prepared" by filling them first with other liquors, like Port, or sweet wine (Sancerre), or Zinfandel - as to give the new make a certain "direction". Results have been thoroughly drinkable. Of course, it doesn't make any economic sense, really.
Buying a cask seems to have too much risk for too little reward. Unless the whisky is good enough to trade or sell, you're stuck with a lot of bottles of the same whisky. Ultimately, it seems like it would be more rewarding to invest that money into multiple bottles from many different distilleries, giving you a greater variety to enjoy for years to come.
I've been maturing a locally made malt spirit in a 2 liter cask for one year now. I'll bottle it this weekend because it's so damn nice right now. Even though I wish there was more of it, I don't think I would risk going with a commercial sized cask. The distiller has only been in operation for just over a year and I hope that they have been keeping some set aside that I can buy already matured. Nice series Ralfy!
This is great! I have recently signed up for your reviews after finding you through Chuck Cowdery, so I have some catching up to do. But this is incredibly helpful, since I've been thinking about purchasing a cask. I'm in the U.S., so the advice on traversing bourbon was especially helpful. I actually didn't know that I couldn't roll the barrel off of my truck bed and into my personal shed for a decade, but I suppose the tax man needs his due. I'll be tuning in to more of your shows. Cheers!
Thank you Ralfy for all of the great reviews! I'm a new scotch drinker and have become fascinated by your reviews! I'm from the US, Washington State, and have been enjoying bourbon for years. Thank you for all of the great tips!
Thanks for the review Ralfy. An interesting review but way too many risks for me, you really need a few friends to share the investment with you, I will stick with Bottles myself, thanks for useing my Malt Mention.
Informative video but left me with too many questions unanswered. Throughout the entire 22 minutes you onloy mention prices once and don't say for what size that is for. I thought you'd be giving a run down of typical prices for differnent size casks.You didn't mention which size casks you recommend to buy or even to avoid. I know that there are some distilleries offering small 5/10/15 gallon barrels that offer quick maturation. From what I've read, buyers have been disappointed with these. There are also sites offering micro and mini barrels of your favourite dram. What are they all about?
dear Ralfy, please consider making a masterclass on whisky labels and markings - i cannot find anywhere information of how to determine the date of bottling and what other information is contained in markings. for many people it would be useful to explain where to look for the information. thank you!
Ralfy fantastic videos have spent hours watching and bought a few on your recommendation, was wondering would you maybe do a review of standard Powers Irish Whiskey one off my favourites and very underrated. I enjoyed your review of Powers John Lane but standard gold label Powers retails at under £20 and must be one off the best value pot still blends on the market.
Ralfy, if one was interested in maturing whisky privately for personal use, why not just age it in a glass vat with oak wood chips or sawdust. This is done by home wine makers all the time. As I understand it, the extremely high surface area of the chips/dust allows the liquid to pick pick up wood quality within a few days. All of this for next to nothing in terms of investment.
Hello, Ralfy. Could you review Robert Burns blended and blended malt whiskies? They're rather rare, especially 12 and 21 years old versions, but probably you have couple bottles in your gorgeous collection? :-) and one more malty name - hello maltygrain vitamins.
Thanks Ralfy. For me, your most practically useful advice so far was the Solera (mine varies from good to delicious) thank you. My family has also decided to act on another gem you mentioned some time ago; a Family Solera to be passed down through generations and topped up as required...What whisky would you suggest such a Solera start with? Cheers!
I was thinking if you got some sticks of suitable oak and charred it you could get a big Glass Carboy shove the sticks of oak in there and mature the spirit in there, I want to try it but I don't know how to distil and its probably illegal anyways, I wonder if a distillery would ntertain my idea and sell me some raw spirits
no point in buying casks other than prestige. BUT one should look out for original bottlings that come from private casks. in january i bought a Glenfarclas Family Cask bottling , 20yo 1st fill sherry that has been bottled for a Whisky society in Luxembourg. 135 euros. not exactly cheap but if you know the regular prices for 20yo, 1st fill GF Family Cask botttlings, it IS quite fair in comparison.
The term "over and out" is a conflation of phrases. Conflation occurs when the identities of two or more individuals, concepts, or places, sharing some characteristics of one another, seem to be a single identity - the differences appear to become lost.[1] In logic, it is the practice of treating two distinct concepts as if they were one, which produces errors or misunderstandings as a fusion of distinct subjects tends to obscure analysis of relationships which are emphasized by contrasts.[2] However, if the distinctions between the two concepts appear to be superficial, intentional conflation may be desirable for the sake of conciseness and recall.
Terrific series Ralfy! Always interesting and enjoyable spend time with you in the bothy. I'll never purchase a cask but it's great to learn about it. I like a variety in my single malts and blends, and at 62 I'm too darn old for the long-term investment. Stay well, already looking forward to your next review. Sincerely, Ossie P.S. What did you think of the movie "Angle's Share"?
In USA it will b much mor n honest cask having only held bourbon per/US bourban law & isn't that wat we'd b lookn 4 and not a 3rd 4th ex bourbon cask of questioable quality??
Can't believe I've been here for 300 episodes now. None missed, all enjoyed.
Ralfy, I am a Makers Mark Bourbon Ambassador! I have my name on a barrel currently in maturation. In about 4 years I will get a tour of the distillery and purchase a bottle from my barrel! So much fun. Thanks for the very informative series. Enjoyed it.
How was it?
Just excellent review and philosophy. A great joy to watch. My best, Wade
I too am age-ing my own whisky. Alas, the new make, if AT ALL available, is customarily more expensive than a 12 year-old single malt. Well, what we did: we bought a large cask of new-make from a whisky-dealer (provided we were not allowed to name the source) and split it - and even then it's not cheap. I've been maturing single malts in a number of miniature casks (2l) of American oak - cause I don't have the patience, really. These casks I "prepared" by filling them first with other liquors, like Port, or sweet wine (Sancerre), or Zinfandel - as to give the new make a certain "direction". Results have been thoroughly drinkable. Of course, it doesn't make any economic sense, really.
Buying a cask seems to have too much risk for too little reward. Unless the whisky is good enough to trade or sell, you're stuck with a lot of bottles of the same whisky. Ultimately, it seems like it would be more rewarding to invest that money into multiple bottles from many different distilleries, giving you a greater variety to enjoy for years to come.
I've been maturing a locally made malt spirit in a 2 liter cask for one year now. I'll bottle it this weekend because it's so damn nice right now. Even though I wish there was more of it, I don't think I would risk going with a commercial sized cask. The distiller has only been in operation for just over a year and I hope that they have been keeping some set aside that I can buy already matured. Nice series Ralfy!
This is great! I have recently signed up for your reviews after finding you through Chuck Cowdery, so I have some catching up to do. But this is incredibly helpful, since I've been thinking about purchasing a cask.
I'm in the U.S., so the advice on traversing bourbon was especially helpful. I actually didn't know that I couldn't roll the barrel off of my truck bed and into my personal shed for a decade, but I suppose the tax man needs his due.
I'll be tuning in to more of your shows. Cheers!
Cheers for the series Ralf, warmest regards Franky.
One for the m-list, 'Malty Miners of Magnificence'
It’s an investment and, like all investments, it comes with cost and risk, and possible rewards and disappointments. Thanks R.
Thank you Ralfy for all of the great reviews! I'm a new scotch drinker and have become fascinated by your reviews! I'm from the US, Washington State, and have been enjoying bourbon for years. Thank you for all of the great tips!
Luke Partridge . . . happy to help with the malt-moments !
i live in ohio and the places that can ship here have extortion level shipping charges
They did a herring cask whisky once here in Holland if I remember correctly.
It was a gimmick and a terrible idea to boot! Awful, awful stuff.
Thanks for the review Ralfy. An interesting review but way too many risks for me, you really need a few friends to share the investment with you, I will stick with Bottles myself, thanks for useing my Malt Mention.
Informative video but left me with too many questions unanswered. Throughout the entire 22 minutes you onloy mention prices once and don't say for what size that is for. I thought you'd be giving a run down of typical prices for differnent size casks.You didn't mention which size casks you recommend to buy or even to avoid. I know that there are some distilleries offering small 5/10/15 gallon barrels that offer quick maturation. From what I've read, buyers have been disappointed with these. There are also sites offering micro and mini barrels of your favourite dram. What are they all about?
Reb Mordechai . . . prices vary too much for me to mention in detail, and prices are raising fast too !
Reb Mordechai mini barrels are a gimmick, and done for fun !
dear Ralfy, please consider making a masterclass on whisky labels and markings - i cannot find anywhere information of how to determine the date of bottling and what other information is contained in markings. for many people it would be useful to explain where to look for the information. thank you!
Dmitriy Dezortsev look for the channel of singlemalttv :)
Ralfy, just for fun, if you had the money on hand for the sole purpose of buying a cask of the whisky of your choice, which would you select?
Fascinating ... but I think I better stick with straightforward bottles from the liquor store!
Ralfy fantastic videos have spent hours watching and bought a few on your recommendation, was wondering would you maybe do a review of standard Powers Irish Whiskey one off my favourites and very underrated. I enjoyed your review of Powers John Lane but standard gold label Powers retails at under £20 and must be one off the best value pot still blends on the market.
Ralfy, if one was interested in maturing whisky privately for personal use, why not just age it in a glass vat with oak wood chips or sawdust. This is done by home wine makers all the time. As I understand it, the extremely high surface area of the chips/dust allows the liquid to pick pick up wood quality within a few days. All of this for next to nothing in terms of investment.
Hello, Ralfy. Could you review Robert Burns blended and blended malt whiskies? They're rather rare, especially 12 and 21 years old versions, but probably you have couple bottles in your gorgeous collection? :-) and one more malty name - hello maltygrain vitamins.
Ralfy, what's in the glass that you are holding up in the pic on Ralfy.com?
It looks a bit too dark to be from the bottle that you are holding.
Ralfy, do you have any casks out there maturing in Scotland?
Chris Mills . . . yes, some on Islay and some in Speyside.
Very nice. Any of them due to be bottled soon?
no, not for as while yet !
***** I look forward to the reviews :-)
Thanks Ralfy. For me, your most practically useful advice so far was the Solera (mine varies from good to delicious) thank you.
My family has also decided to act on another gem you mentioned some time ago; a Family Solera to be passed down through generations and topped up as required...What whisky would you suggest such a Solera start with?
Cheers!
William Crampton . . . the last bottle you bought, topped up with the next bottle you buy !
Hey there ralfy, recent whisky enthusiast here. I have a question: Do you where i could possibly buy a mini cask of glenfiddich? I live in Texas, USA
Salvador Camacho not available, unless you do it yourself.
I was thinking if you got some sticks of suitable oak and charred it you could get a big Glass Carboy shove the sticks of oak in there and mature the spirit in there, I want to try it but I don't know how to distil and its probably illegal anyways, I wonder if a distillery would ntertain my idea and sell me some raw spirits
no point in buying casks other than prestige. BUT one should look out for original bottlings that come from private casks. in january i bought a Glenfarclas Family Cask bottling , 20yo 1st fill sherry that has been bottled for a Whisky society in Luxembourg. 135 euros. not exactly cheap but if you know the regular prices for 20yo, 1st fill GF Family Cask botttlings, it IS quite fair in comparison.
Antoine M . . . good point buying private casks bottlings if available can be a great option !
Really Ralfy, you shouldn't say "over & out".
Its either "over" or "out".
Smashing mini series nonetheless.
The term "over and out" is a conflation of phrases.
Conflation occurs when the identities of two or more individuals, concepts, or places, sharing some characteristics of one another, seem to be a single identity - the differences appear to become lost.[1] In logic, it is the practice of treating two distinct concepts as if they were one, which produces errors or misunderstandings as a fusion of distinct subjects tends to obscure analysis of relationships which are emphasized by contrasts.[2] However, if the distinctions between the two concepts appear to be superficial, intentional conflation may be desirable for the sake of conciseness and recall.
Love the knowledge! Just curious- what's the average temperature inside the Bothy in Winter Ralfy?
***** south-of-Siberia degrees !
Mackmyra sells swedish whiskycask for a affordable price..
Ralfy is there anything you DON'T know? I feel like you're a walking Whisky encyclopedia ;p
missOhdrey . . . a minefield of whisky opinion !
Terrific series Ralfy! Always interesting and enjoyable spend time with you in the bothy. I'll never purchase a cask but it's great to learn about it. I like a variety in my single malts and blends, and at 62 I'm too darn old for the long-term investment. Stay well, already looking forward to your next review. Sincerely, Ossie
P.S. What did you think of the movie "Angle's Share"?
Ossie Weinert entertaining realistic film which deserves a sequel !
***** Ralfy, are you still accepting new friends on FaceBook?
Christopher Cobblewright . . . subscribed to the limit on F'book although the totals mislead on that situation.
A pity, but thanks for the reply Ralfy!
Hey ralfy I've always wondered what a "malt mention" is ?
ChangeHumanity the M-beginning of a vlog !
***** Has MaltyMofos been used yet?
Christopher Cobblewright . . . no, now on the m-mention list thanks !
You're welcome Ralfy. Your videos are excellent and a huge help in getting the spirits sorted.
Ralfy wattaya thinkin of G15 Solera these days??
In USA it will b much mor n honest cask having only held bourbon per/US bourban law & isn't that wat we'd b lookn 4 and not a 3rd 4th ex bourbon cask of questioable quality??
Only if u have yur own new-make malt, that is!!
Ralfy the sound in this video is bad!
Fourth
Second
Third??
First?
PeatSmokey . . . verified first !
***** hip hip-flask hooray!! cheers Ralfy
1rst?!