Cask Strength Whiskey Reviews by WhiskyRant!

All reviews of cask strength whiskies by WhiskyRant!

What is cask strength whiskey?

Cask strength is also known as barrel proof. It’s a dram coming straight out of the barrel or cask after (at least 3 years of) aging.
Usually bottled whisky has to be diluted with water. This happens because whiskey producers want to bring its strength down to a level that makes it cheaper to produce and more palatable to majority of consumers. Typical strength for whiskey is 40% ABV (alcohol per volume level).
Typically cask strength whiskies are in the range of 60–65% ABV. Sometimes bottlers might even dilute cask strength versions of their whiskey, to less than 60% ABV.

June 30, 2015

Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition 2014 review

Four Roses Small Batch 2014 is a 9 year old bourbon, containing also bourbons up to 11, 12 and 13 years old. This is a cask strength limited edition by the Four Roses distillery from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Every year they release a small batch of this heavier alcohol per volume […]

June 24, 2015

Elements of Islay Bn4 review

Elements of Islay Bn4 is the fourth batch from Bunnahabhain distillery, bottled by the independent bottler Speciality Drinks. This dark and sweet character felt like a nice addition into the Elements of Islay series, even though I only had a chance to take few sips of it on our way to Taivaanranta […]

June 22, 2015

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel review

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel is a marriage of malt and grain whisky blended together. It has been bottled directly from the re-casked whisky barrels. This Japanese blend is a prize winning dram – it got the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards in 2007 and […]

May 11, 2015

BenRiach 17 year old Solstice (2nd edition) review

17 year old Solstice from BenRiach is the second edition of the series in question, replacing the 15 year old single malt whisky, which was well appreciated by Whisky Bible’s Jim Murray. Solstice is distilled from heavily peated malted barley and matured in ex-bourbon casks. Finished in tawny port pipes. […]

May 4, 2015

BenRiach 15 year old Single Cask Release 1998 review

Like The Whisky Exchange puts it, “a slightly crazy entry” this BenRiach’s 10th single cask release – malt whisky triple distilled, unlike their regular double distilled spirit. It’s been matured for 15 years and finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon. 630 bottles has been released. Mine was only a […]

March 7, 2015

The Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old review

Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 year old is a small batch cask strength single malt whisky, “nadurra” meaning natural in Gaelic. Based on the alcohol per volume level and the time I bought it, I think that this sample is from the batch bottled in January 2014. Resembling a lot of Glenlivet 12YO, which i […]

February 27, 2015

Säntis Malt Edition Dreifaltigkeit Peated whisky review

Säntis Malt Edition Dreifaltigkeit is a cask strength peated whisky from Switzerland. This beauty has been matured in old (60-130 years old) oak beer casks that were smoked with oak wood by the “Swiss Highlander”. Säntis whisky is a product of Locher brewery – famous for making a wide range […]

February 21, 2015

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey review

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a small batch 12 year old bourbon by Heaven Hill Distilleries. Bottled cask strength, this batch in question has a whopping 67,4% alcohol per volume level. I had to test this devil neat and boy oh boy, was it spicy and strong! Tough but good […]

February 19, 2015

Willett Single Barrel Rye 4 year old review

Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 4 years, this straight rye whiskey has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% barley. This rye dram is truly a craft whiskey coming from private family-owned Willett Distilling Company (also known as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers). Willett Single Barrel whiskeys are selected […]

December 19, 2014

Amrut Peated Blackadder Raw Cask review

My sample of Blackadder’s Peated Amrut Raw Cask was from the batch of BA14/2012 (62,7% ABV). Amrut’s Peated Blackadder Raw Cask (63% ABV) batch BA18/2013 won Best Peated Whisky 2013 in The Malt Maniacs Awards. The Raw Cask Series contains whisky, that’s been bottled directly from the cask without any filtration. I don’t have […]

August 8, 2014

Old Buck VYS at Panimoravintola Beerhunter's, Pori

Old Buck VYS single malt whisky review

Old Buck got famous in whisky circles, when Jim Murray rated the cask number 5 of the second release with 96 points and “European Mainland Whisky of the Year 2009” award. The first release had gotten 93,5 points and the third release got 95, so there was great consistency in […]

July 20, 2014

Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky review – Single Cask P1 164

BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD type of whisky Single Cask P1 164, a cask strength dram from Paul John Whisky from Goa, India. Matured in ex-bourbon casks. This third single cask release from John Distilleries got a Silver medal from the International Spirits Challenge 2013. It is not a Slumdog Millionaire, more like a Bollywood film. Groomed […]

June 24, 2014

Glenfarclas 105 whisky review

Tasting notes Glenfarclas was the first distillery to release a cask strength single malt whisky in 1968. That CS bottling has since been renamed to 105, which is the British alcohol proof equivalent for 60% ABV (alcohol by volume). Nowadays 60% ABV is referred as 120 proof. That is simply […]

May 16, 2014

Macallan 10YO Sherry Oak and Sherry Oak Cask Strength reviews

10YO Sherry Oak – SHERRYBABY right from the start Macallan Sherry Oak is matured in selected sherry oak casks from Jerez. Unlike the Macallan Fine Oak, which is matured in different kind of casks. I got the Macallan tripack, which includes 3 x 33,3 cl of the 10YO, 12YO Elegancia and the […]

April 1, 2014

Big Peat Christmas Edition 2012 Cask Strength review

Great sequel – DIE HARD II whisky I already reviewed the original Big Peat. This is the same stuff but cask strength. Nice sequel for the “Die Hard whisky“, as I referenced Big Peat. Same ingredients but with more power and explosions. Just like Die Hard II, this dram follows […]

March 27, 2014

Elements of Islay Lg3 review

I have to admit, This one got me excited before I had even tasted it. Elements of Islay (by Speciality Drinks) with Lg (Lagavulin) attached to it, is something that gets my hopes high. After all, Lagavulin 16YO is my absolute favorite. Fortunately my hopes were matched. Different from the […]

March 19, 2014

Ardbeg Corryvreckan review

Ardbeg distillery is famous for making top notch smoke whisky, their whiskies are usually peated to approximately 50 phenol parts per million (which makes the whisky very smoky). Ardbeg Corryvreckan is a legendary NAS (no age statement) whisky by the Islay based distillery, matured in a combination of first-fill American […]

March 17, 2014

Octomore 5.1 and 4.2 Comus reviews

Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2 Comus/167 ppm Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2 Comus is peated to a great 167 ppm and finished in premium, sweet Sauternes Chateau d’Yquem casks. The finish surely tames the peaty beast, but we are still talking about a very powerful dram. QUANTUM OF SOLACE with peat A big disappointment […]