It’s always difficult to figure out if it’s worthwhile to tell our audience about a whiskey that might not be available at the time of publishing. I don’t want to tick readers off by talking about a bottle I sampled or a meal I enjoyed that is just a fleeting moment, but in this case, I’ll make an exception for reasons I’ll explain later.
I figured that when Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery announced they were releasing the next offering in the Cask Series line, it would be the sort of whiskey that people would line up to buy exclusively from the bottle shop at the distillery. As with the other releases of the series — including their rotating line of special-edition cask finishes including Sherry Cask, Cognac Cask, Honey Cask and Mourvèdre Cask — I imagined that the Nelson Brothers' Maple Cask Finish would be quite popular.Â
I was correct. The distillery sold out of their stock within the first weekend of release, long before I could tell y’all about it. And why not? The whiskey that served as the base for this product is already outstanding, so when lead distiller Ed Koln and his team blended some of their best barrels and then finished them in special maple-finished barrels, you had to expect that it would be delicious.
Bottled at 105.8 proof, the whiskey walks the fine line between revealing the grains of the mash bill with the oak from its original maturation and the sweet maple elements of the finishing process. It’s basically breakfast in a shot glass, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.
Not just syrupy, the combination of ingredients and process introduced floral and minty components to the nose that weren’t overpowered by maple. The additional finishing contributed a rich dark amber color to the spirit, and the mouthfeel was luxurious.
Clearly intended as a collectible bottle, the Maple Finish retailed at $125, no deterrent to the whiskey hunters who braved the elements to get to the distillery and find their prey. But here’s the good news: Despite selling out of the initial stock, this product may circle around in the production cycle sometime. Hopefully both the quantity and the amount of advance notice might increase.
And while quantities last behind the bar at Nelson’s 1414 Clinton St. location, you can order the Maple Cask Finish as a straight pour or as part of a cocktail. I can only imagine what sort of transcendent Old Fashioned this would make, maybe alongside a meal at the distillery’s restaurant. If you want to make this dream a reality, the restaurant is open for lunch Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bar is open Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Cheers!
