Barrell Whiskey American Vatted Malt
Barrell Whiskey American Vatted Malt
In 2019, we partnered with small and large producers across the United States to select malt whiskeys that express the full diversity of American terroir and style. The resulting blend was the first to showcase the growing category of American single malt in this way. American Vatted Malt is an homage to the old Scottish category of vatted malt, which was once the preferred nomenclature to describe a blended whisky made entirely from single malts.
This blend was a challenging one technically, as it brought together a variety of unique components. We strived to balance the distinctive tang of Southwestern mesquite smoke with the sweet and creamy maltiness of malted barley, and to contrast briny coastal peat with the warm vanilla character of toasted oak. The resulting blend is complex and multi-faceted, rewarding the drinker with unfolding layers of flavor.
Many of the components in the first blend came from emerging distilleries that had not traded or sold bulk whiskey before. The core group of participants includes:
- Balcones Distillery, Waco, Texas
- Hamilton Distillers Del Bac, Tucson, Arizona
- MGP, Lawrenceburg, Indiana
- Harvest Distillery, Valatie, New York
- Santa Fe Distillery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Kings County Distillery, Brooklyn, New York
This vatting takes notes of classic malt whisky: honey, apple, and fresh, crusty bread. By bringing together many different American Single Malt sources, Barrell teases those classic flavors with vivid realism. Fresh, toasty oak remains in a supporting role right up until the finish, when it explodes with spice, carrying the whiskey on for ages on the palate.
Appearance: Pale gold.
Nose: This whisky has notes of apple with white apple blossom, waxy apple skin, sweet cider and dry cider vinegar. Honey notes show beeswax, clover pollen, creamed honey and butter. Sundry herbs provide a blanket of complexity, woven of génépy, sprice tip, aloe vera, and lavender. This is all underpinned by the richness of yogurt, roasted chestnut and marzipan.
Palate: Lightly sweet and moderately oily, it opens on lemon meringue pie and spiced applesauce. A late-spring meadow full of daffodil, buttercup, and dandelion. It's supported by earthy notes; in addition to roasted chestnut, there's also bay leaf, walnut oil, fennel bulb and carrot cake.
Finish: Remarkably spicy, nasturtium, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon all inflame the tongue's heat sensors, keeping the finish alive for ages. With a splash of spring water: The nose grows a bit more perfumed, as quince, apricot, and plum eaux-de-vie emerge. By contrast the palate develops damp moss, fiddlehead, and fresh mushroom, which bring forest-floor vibes.
Mezcal Amores have one simple philosophy: to strive always towards a balanced relationship with their ecosystem. This is why they exist. It is why they produce their mezcal following a holistic cycle “From seed to sip”. The Amores Philosophy stems from caring consciously for the earth, for the environment and for the people who make each drop of mezcal possible.
Mezcal Amores believe firmly in a better world, and they pursue this vision by empowering their teams and embracing local communities, by supporting local agave farmers (agaveros) and Master Distillers (Maestros Mezcaleros), because they understand that these are the guardians of their Mezcals. To preserve the past, Mezcal Amores look to the future, advancing a sustainable business model today, with their eyes on their impact tomorrow.
True to their philosophy, Mezcal Amores allocate as much as 20% of each bottle's net sale to the development of internal initiatives promoting social and environmental responsibility. These initiatives range from purchasing artisanal mezcal at a fair price, to providing state-of-the-art training for local distillers, from rescuing and protecting wild agave species, to sowing new seed using only organic practices.
Mezcal Amores' vision focuses on evolving, growing and adapting through the promotion of an artisanal mezcal supply chain, as well as on supporting an environmental model aimed at minimal impact and committed to continual innovation.