Marrying in Wood
Welcome to the first in Wemyss Malts’ brand-new eight-part Education Series hosted by our Head of Production, Isabella Wemyss.
We’re thrilled to have Isabella on board for this special series. Isabella is an accomplished blender, with years of accumulated experience and a wealth of knowledge. She is responsible for blending and cask selection at our Kingsbarns Distillery and across our bottling operations.
The aim of the Education Series is to enhance your knowledge and understanding of Wemyss Family Spirits as a brand, and guide you through our products via a series of engaging and informative videos – the first of which can be viewed here.
In our first blog to accompany the series, we focus on the topic of blending, specifically ‘marrying in wood’, an important process for our blended malt whiskies.
But first…
What is blended malt whisky?
Blended malt whisky is made by blending two or more single malt whiskies from different distilleries, not to be confused with ‘blended whisky’ which is made by mixing single malt whisky with grain whisky.
Why we make blended malt whisky
We feel that blended malt whisky has real depth and character, with so much to explore. Each individual single malt component brings its own perspective to the final blend, ultimately revealing a whisky which is greater than the sum of its parts.
“I think about blending like baking a cake,” says Isabella, “so when we blend together the different ingredients for our blended malts, be it The Hive, Spice King or Peat Chimney, we’re taking all sorts of different elements like flour, butter and sugar and mixing them together to make something that’s even better than the individual flavours that are in those elements.”
What is marrying?
Marrying is the process of allowing the flavours and aromas of two or more single malt whiskies a period of resting together before bottling.
Most producers marry their whiskies in a stainless-steel vat before bottling. However, we believe in going a step further to really allow the flavours and aromas time to interact and meld together.
Marrying in wood
We believe that marrying our whiskies in wood, creates a rounder, smoother blend than if we just married in a metal vat. We ‘marry’ our whiskies together, then return the whiskies to their original casks to mature for a bit longer – normally a month or two.
“It helps the flavours to meld together,” continues Isabella, “It makes them mix properly so that you get a fuller, richer, smoother flavour out of each dram. We think this is a very important element in maximising on the aroma and flavour profile you get after opening one of our bottles.”
This technique is used in all of our blended malt whiskies including A Quarter Passed limited edition blended malt whisky as well as our core range, The Hive, Spice King and Peat Chimney.
A Quarter Passed
A Quarter Passed honours the virtue of patience and the passage of time in whisky making. This rare and exclusive limited edition blended malt Scotch whisky boasts a profoundly rich character.
Isabella Wemyss has carefully selected this blend from single malts in ex-bourbon barrels. This twenty-five-year maturation, including a 6-year ‘marrying in wood’ has allowed for the development of exceptional flavours. Limited to a release of 1,500 bottles and bottled at a generous cask strength of 53.6% ABV, it offers a luxurious, vanilla-rich profile with nuances of soft coconut, toffee, and enduring spice.
Our core range – The Hive, Spice King and Peat Chimney
The hand-crafted blended malt Scotch whiskies in our core range are not restricted to regional characteristics, but we like to think of them as opportunities to paint pictures through flavour, with each of them named after their flavour characteristics.
The Hive
The Hive captures the perfect marriage in sweetness of Speyside, Highland and Lowlands in a smooth, fruity, honey-like expression.
The nose offers a bouquet of florals and sticky blossom honey. On the palate, orange zest and ginger ale before a warm finish of clove-spiked grapefruit.
46% ABV
Spice King
Spice King offers an intriguing and full-bodied character, with spice and subtle smoke, maritime and citrus notes.
The nose presents spiced orange and lively blossom. On the palate, deep ginger syrup with a blast of salty sea spray, pepper and aromatic spice. The finish lingers with warm smoke and tingling black pepper.
46% ABV
Peat Chimney
Peat Chimney encapsulates the allure of delicate smoke in a balanced expression, rich in smoky maritime and citrus notes.
Aromas of heather smoke drift alongside stone fruits and orange zest. On the palate, warm peat puffs over rich espresso and muscovado sugar. To finish, flinty minerality sizzles out to a soft, sweet finale.
46% ABV
What’s next in the Education Series?
Later this month we’ll be bringing you the next instalment in the Education Series videos where Isabella explains why we hand-select our own casks at Wemyss Malts.
Plus look out for the accompanying blog where we’ll delve into the world of whisky casks. We’ll discover the different types of casks used in whisky production and how they are crucial in the development of flavour profile.