Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/735312
58 / the tasting panel / october 2016 The cooperage is an awe-inspiring place. Upon entering, used barrels are stacked from floor to ceiling. Just beyond them, Kelvin's coopers are using the raw power of fire and steam to forge perfectly round, water-tight barrels from what were moments before simply straight pieces of American white oak. By the time I arrive at 10 a.m., the coopers are already six hours into their day. "Everyone always thinks it's about the char," Paul says as a cooper rolls a newly toasted barrel towards us. The still-warm barrel has wisps of steam rising from it, as well as the unmistak- able aroma of freshly baked bread. "But it's really about the toast. The barrels that we make for Glenfiddich get their flavor from an extra-long toast." Paul explains that all the barrels at Kelvin are bent, toasted and charred over fires of American white oak, the same type of wood that the barrels are made from. "Our only fuel source are the scraps from the barrel making process." As another set of aromas come off the freshly toasted bar- rels—this time nutmeg and clove—I can't help but think that using the American oak as the fuel source also helps give an additional depth of flavor to these barrels. A lot has changed in the last 50 years. Glenfiddich single malt is now available in more than 120 countries. For their part, the McLoughlins found that their location in Louisville gave Kelvin the opportunity to not only repair used barrels, but to build new ones as well—a change that made the partnership for the Glenfiddich 14 Year possible. Although much has changed, Paul notes, that as at Glenfiddich, "Being family-owned and -run gives Kelvin freedom to keep doing things the right way." The Glenfiddich 14 Year is also an example of something that bartend- ers and mixologists have known for a long time—that the types of casks that a whisky is aged in makes it best suited for certain types of cocktails. The light touch of the casks used to age Glenfiddich 12, the current expression of that single malt we first brought over in 1963, allows its bright, fresh pear flavors to shine, making it perfect for sours and fizzes. The significant Sherry cask influence on the Glenfiddich 15 Solera Reserve, as well as its complex marrying process, makes it work incredibly well in stirred, aromatic cocktails. At Glenfiddich, we call this concept Cask to Cocktail, and it influences every drink that we make with Glenfiddich single malt. It shouldn't be a surprise, really, given that Ian McDonald, Head Cooper at our distillery in Dufftown, tells us that that up to 80 percent of the flavor of Glenfiddich comes from the cask in which it is aged. In the case of the 14 Year Bourbon Barrel Reserve, the additional aging in the charred new oak barrels from Kelvin give the whisky a complex sweetness that complements traditional American whisky cocktails exceptionally well. Taking in the aromas of the freshly toasted barrel at Kelvin immediately brought to mind the flavors of one of my favorite cocktails to make with the Glenfiddich 14 Year, the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a variation on the Manhattan that uses dry vermouth, Drambuie and Maraschino liqueur to tease out all the flavors from the barrels made at Kelvin. I think this one is going to catch on. The next time a bartender says she has a bridge to sell you, she might be telling the truth. WORLD'S MOST EXPERIMENTAL BARTENDER Glenfiddich Ambassador Allan Roth (center) with Kevin (left) and Paul McLoughlin of Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky. PHOTO: JAMES MILLER PHOTO COURTESY OF GLENFIDDICH Brooklyn Bridge by Struan Grant Ralph, Glenfiddich Global Ambassador ◗ 2 oz. Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel Reserve ◗ ½ oz. Drambuie ◗ ½ oz. dry vermouth ◗ 1 /8 oz. Maraschino liqueur ◗ 2 dashes fig bitters ◗ Brandied cherries to garnish