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After a trial of two years with various whisky casks, two variants called Double Barrel Shiraz from Barossa and the Double Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra will be released for retail sale in Australia on July 1 at the suggested Retail Price of $A 25 (US$ 23.34). Shiraz has been matured in the old Chivas Regal barrels whereas Cabernet Sauvignon was found to be most compatible with their Jameson Irish whiskey. The two have added different flavours to the wine, according to the chief winemaker Bernard Hicken who carried out the experiments with different casks before finalizing these two wines.
High quality fruit was selected from Barossa and Coonawarra vineyards to make the premium red wine. It was matured traditionally in French and American oak barrels, before finishing 100% of the matured wine in old whisky barrels which introduced additional intricacy and a smoother texture, due to the fundamental differences between barrels made for ageing whisky and those crafted to age wine, according to Hickin.
This is the reversal of the traditional process of storing whisky in old Sherry barrels. In fact, there are several wineries in and around Jerez in Spain, the home town of Sherry where the winemakers age different sherries like Oloroso, Manzanilla, Amontillado and Pedro Ximénez in new barrels for sale to Scotch producers for aging their single malts.
According to chief winemaker Bernard Hickin, experiments with whisky barrels showed that they brought added flavours to the wines, but different cask sources were necessary for the two red grapes from different regions. “Each barrel performs differently, so it took time to understand the true effect on the wines, and achieve a result that was perfectly balanced,” he said.
Hickin feels that the rich intensity of Shiraz is better suited to the more assertive style of Scotch whisky, while the elegance of Cabernet Sauvignon is well suited to the smooth style of Irish whiskey. Whisky barrels are scorched at a high heat thus releasing their natural wood sugars, while their narrower staves allow for greater oxygen exchange. However, in case the Indian whisky drinkers look for a predominant taste of whisky, they may be disappointed. The barrels are well aged and consequently, with a subtle influence they add intriguing nuances without changing the basic character of the wine.
Adrian Pinto, Senior Manager-Wines for Pernod Ricard in India, when contacted in Mumbai, said that they had no immediate plans to import these wines at the moment. They plan to focus on the sales of Jacobs Creek Reserve and Sparkling wines for which there is a growing demand.
Jacobs Creek is the biggest single imported brand sold in India. With an import and estimated sale of over 40,000 cases of this single label, it has made Pernod Ricard the second largest wine importer behind Brindco. If and when imported into India, the Double Barrel collection may not add significantly to the numbers but will certainly bring prestige that the drinkers of Chivas Regal can bring on the table. If it catches the fancy of imported whisky drinkers, the results maybe however, be unpredictably positive.
Subhash Arora
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