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The Glenlivet’s New Whisky Couldn’t Exist Without Bourbon & Rum
Will “fusion casks” be the next big thing in whisky?
The big trend in the world of whisky over the past few years? Exotic cask finishes. It seems that with each new release, brands are finding new ways to innovate when it comes to how their whisky is finished before bottling. We’ve seen single malts finished in red wine barrels, we’ve seen bourbons shipped halfway around the world to rapidly age in a tropical climate and we’ve even seen a rye whiskey undergo a finish in a barrel that contained a spirit made from the Biblical resins frankincense and myrrh (yes, really).
This unofficial game of one-upmanship between brands is leading whisky (and whiskey) into previously unknown territory, with mixed results. The latest such experiment comes to us from The Glenlivet, one of the best-known and best-selling single malt Scotch labels in the world. For its new whisky, dubbed The Glenlivet Fusion Cask, the cask finish comes courtesy of first-fill rum and bourbon barrels. But rather than doing a dual finish in two separate barrels, The Glenlivet’s distillers went a different (and stranger) route.
They disassembled the rum and bourbon barrels and then reconstructed bespoke hybrid barrels using pieces from each. The idea is that these “fusion casks” would impart both the tropical flavors from the rum and the sweet, rich notes from the bourbon simultaneously, creating a single malt that tastes unlike anything else in the market.
“Our team of makers at The Glenlivet are always looking to push the boundaries of single malt, and The Glenlivet Fusion Cask does just that through its unconventional finishing process and elevated taste experience,” Kevin Balmforth, The Glenlivet cask expert, tells Gear Patrol. “Ultimately, we were inspired by the idea of taking two unique taste experiences from outside of The Glenlivet’s brand home in Scotland and bringing them together to take our signature single malt to new depths of flavor. The finishing process is certainly an intricate and meticulous one, but with our 200-year legacy of craftsmanship, refinement and progress, it was a challenge our team of makers rose to.”
So, did The Glenlivet’s mad scientists succeed in their creative endeavor, or is the whole fusion cask process more of a gimmick than anything? I got my hands on a bottle to find out.
This whiskey was sampled neat from a whiskey tasting glass. To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
The Glenlivet Fusion Cask: What We Think
The GlenlivetThe Glenlivet Fusion Cask
A unique experiment in cask aging, The Glenlivet’s distillers broke down spent bourbon and rum barrels, reconstructed hybrid barrels using pieces of each, and then aged single malt Scotch inside them for a whisky unlike any other.
Specs
| ABV | 40% |
| Tasting Notes | Apple, vanilla, malt |
Pros
- One-of-a-kind cask finish
- Strong bourbon flavors
Cons
- Feels somewhat gimmicky
- Can’t really detect the rum notes
While a novel idea, I can’t help but feel the fusion cask experiment would have yielded the same results had The Glenlivet simply finished this whisky in bourbon barrels rather than going through the rigamarole of creating hybrid casks, since the bourbon notes dominate and drown out any potential rum notes. Either that or use a rum barrel with a stronger profile.
The Glenlivet hasn’t stated where the spent rum or bourbon casks came from, but common sense tells me they’re probably from the brand portfolio of Pernod Ricard, which owns The Glenlivet. The French liquor conglomerate owns three bourbon labels — Jefferson’s, Rabbit Hole and Smooth Ambler — and just one actual rum brand in Havana Club. Havana Club’s Cuban rums are lighter, column-still rums in the Spanish style that are aged in bourbon casks, and they lack the more powerful, estery notes of pot-still rums from Jamaica, which I think would make this whisky more interesting if used.
At the end of the day, though, all that matters is whether or not a whisky tastes good, and Fusion Cask does. It’s mellow and easy to drink, and it’s sweeter than you’d expect from The Glenlivet. It’s an especially solid Scotch for bourbon drinkers, and the fusion cask gimmick at least makes the whisky interesting and fun to talk about.
Nose: I was expecting a lot of sweetness, but that’s not what I got. Instead, the nose is crisp and fresh. There’s a bit of apple in there, and the overall experience is akin to walking through an orchard on a brisk autumn day. (I know I’m veering into pretentious territory here, but that’s what I’m getting.)
Palate: I’m not picking up any rum notes here … maybe a hint of brown sugar, but that’s it. Certainly no strong esters like you’d get from a pot-still Jamaican rum, which makes me think the rum used is a lighter column-stilled, Spanish-style rum (probably Havana Club).
The apple from the nose comes through, and there’s plenty of vanilla and caramel from the bourbon alongside it, plus a bit of stone fruit and a general maltiness that’s typical of The Glenlivet.
Finish: Like the nose, I find this whisky finishes quite crisp and clean, with just the tiniest whisper of spice on the backend. There’s no real heat to speak of, which is unsurprising given that it’s 80-proof.
