Whisky: McCarthy’s 6 Year Cognac Finish Cask 351

Country/Region: United States/Oregon

ABV: 57.75%

Cask: Garryana Oak (6Y), Cognac (6 mo.)

Age: 6 Years (Bottled 15 Oct. 2022)

Nose: Meaty marinade sweetened with pear and apple, smoked paprika, obe ata, braised meat, burning wood, dry autumn leaves, earthy-stone undertones, gentle ash.

Palate: Medium-bodied, blistered peppers, currants, peppercorns, nutty hominy and scorched rice, hints of smoked chocolate and creme brûlée, spicier toward the finish with smoked paprika, dry autumn leaves, cigar box, hints of musty earthy decay.

Finish: Medium-length, slightly drying, with earth, autumn, and hints of smoke.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Camping with Jollof Rice

Narrative & Notes: I poured this as dram #4 on a “Holiday Mystery Whisky Advent Calendar” and guessed it was a bottle of Clear Creek’s McCarthy’s single malt matured in a sherry cask. I was not far off! I got the distillery right, but I had no idea there was McCarthy’s out there with a cognac finish.

The aroma was lovely with its pairing of subtly sweet fruit, meat, dried vegetation, and smoke. There were so many different elements and images— the one that really stuck me was making obe ata, a puree of tomatoes, peppers, and spice for jollof rice. I imagined doing this while camping in the autumn, a pot over a fire pit, the cool crisp air, and the sweet smell of autumn decay. I have never tried to make jollof rice while camping, but it sounds like a great idea as long as you do some prep beforehand.

I felt the palate was a touch on the light side; I wanted something thick and meaty after that aroma. While the flavors had a lovely gravity in the center of the palate, they seemed to fly by without really sticking. There were meat-adjacent notes in the spice and smoke, but the primary flavors were sweet and roasty, with plenty of dried autumn vegetation.

Overall, I can see the appeal here. There was a lot going on that I liked, though the casking did not quite come together for me. Cognac and peat can be a great combination, but it is not always a force multiplier for flavors. In this case, it was a bit of a distraction, though it still worked better than 90% of the other cognac cask finishes I have ever tried.