The Best Sherry Cask Single Malt Scotch To Sip On World Whisky Day

The third Saturday of every May is World Whisky Day. Here’s some advice on how to celebrate accordingly.

Scotch is the most popular whisky on the planet. On average, 42 bottles of the beverage are exported out of the country every second. It adds up to about $6 billion in annual sales, according to the Scotch Whisky Association. The overwhelming amount of that liquid is of the blended variety—a mixture of grain and malt spirit. But connoisseurs typically covet single malt: aged spirit from malted barley, distilled at a single location.

And even more esteemed amongst that exclusive subset are the ‘sherried’ malts. These are scotches that have matured in barrels that once held the famous fortified wines of southwestern Spain. After years of slumber, this particular seasoning of oak lends the whisky hues of vibrant mahogany. In each sip the cooperage asserts itself with rich, dark fruit complexities. Yeah, that’s the good stuff!

Some of the most sought after names in scotch employ these massive, 500-liter sherry casks (known as butts) in their aging arsenal. The Macallan is a prime example. The famed producer out of Easter Elchies, Scotland offers its core expressions as part of a Sherry Oak series. All of that age statement stuff you see on shelves—and much that you don’t—slumbered in barrels that the distillery previously seasons with sherry at the bodegas of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

For a prototypical demonstration of what those butts can imbue into the glass, pick up a bottle of The Macallan Rare Cask. For a suggested retail price of $300, your palate is gifted a masterclass in sherry suggestiveness.

Before uncorking, it’s hard not to be enchanted by the way the liquid sits in its decanter: a deep auburn sheen. In the pour, aromas of caramel, candied orange and Le Talleyrand. The palate merely confirms more of the same; a rounded body carries custard studded with sultanas, dates and toasted walnuts.

The real beauty of a sherried malt, though, is what happens after the sip. And with this dram it is particularly profound, indeed: a lingering leather-like complexity known as ‘rancio’. It is borrowed from the French, who use the term to describe the same characteristics found in XO cognacs. It’s hard to put your finger on an exact English equivalent. In some respects, it’s almost as much of an experience as it is a tasting note. Imagine yourself on a leather chair—worn and comfortable—in some Old World parlor, cigar in hand. When the precise wording remains elusive, fret not…You most certainly will know it when you taste it.

There’s no better time than on World Whisky Day to quietly contemplate such ineffable musings. If you can’t find Rare Cask in your local market, or would like to explore the wonders sherried malt beyond The Macallan, check out these worthwhile alternatives:

^{The GlenDronach 15 Revival ($129)}

The best whisky in the world, according to this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Spending a minimum of 15 years in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía, Spain, it offers rapturous notes of honey, fig, and dark chocolate.

^{The Dalmore 18 ($250)}

This lush liquid holds citrus zest, pepper and buttery toffee in a sustains finish. Aged for 14 years in American oak, followed by four more in a combination of casks all saturated deep with sherry.

^{Highland Park Dark Origins ($100)}

Produced along the northern edge of Scotland on Orkney Island, this one adds a small touch of peat smoke to accompany cherry and chocolate tonalities. It is a blend of liquids aged mainly (80%) in first fill sherry casks—along with refill sherry butts.

^{Bowmore 18 ($140)}

Distilled on Islay this one owns its prerequisite peat smoke. But any smoky notes are dialed down in the presence of Oloroso and PX maturation. Rich, ripened fruit—currants and Christmas cake. They’ve all come to dance upon your palate.

^{Aberlour A’Bunadh ($110)}

A’bunadh (pronounced: a-boon-arh) is a marriage of whiskies matured between 5 and 25 years, solely in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts. Its bold, rusty color is properly indicative of the assertive flavor that follows: creme brûlée, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a lingering thread of varnish fading long after each sip.