Melbourne distillery The Gospel has announced the launch of their first project release for 2022, Fortified Cask – a dedication to the art of selecting the right spirit for the right cask.
For this project, The Gospel carefully selected three Australian ex-fortified wine barrels – Apera, Chardonnay Tawny and Fortified Semillon – to balance their signature dry rye grain with a richer and sweeter finish.
Their last fortified finished whiskey, Tawny Cask, was a crowd favourite. The fortified casks were delivered to The Gospel fresh and all recoopered at the distillery by Master Distiller Ian Thorn.
They were then filled with mature rye whiskey – carefully selected for its medium body and slightly drier finish – the perfect foundation to the residual sweet wine remaining in the fortified casks.The spirit was allowed to mellow at the top of their Brunswick warehouse for a further six months, absorbing the full force of Melbourne’s 21/22 summer.
Exposing the fortified casks to consistent high temperatures allowed the whiskey to expand, penetrating the cask more and extracting deeper flavour from the wood. Fortified Cask was purposefully released at 52 per cent ABV to represent the spirits character and showcase how it interacted with the oak, as well as provide a higher viscosity and lingering flavour.
This dedication to the art of selection produces a stunning rye whiskey with roasted walnut, maple syrup, clove, leather and fig on the nose, and orange marmalade, fruitcake and bitter caramel on the palate.
The ideal winter companion, Fortified Rye is enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
This limited release has an RRP of $135 and is available to purchase online from Wednesday 25th May.
The release will join the brands core range, Solera Rye and Straight Rye Whiskey.
