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Ten times spirits and beer joined forces

From an IPA-finished single malt to a vodka made with two varieties of hops, SB has scoured experimental endeavours to reveal 10 times that the worlds of spirits and beer collided.

This is our selection of the top 10 times beer and spirits joined forces

Cask finishing in wine barrels has long been a part of the spirits world, as you can see from our pick of the 10 times the two categories worked together, but what of the relationship between beer and spirits?

Whether it’s an Irish whiskey aged in IPA beer barrels or a Bourbon made with ex-ale casks, there have been plenty of times that brewers and distillers have teamed up to create limited-edition expressions and line extensions.

While whisky has dominated our list, we also take in gins made with beer distillate and a series of American brandies aged in beer barrels.

Scroll through to see a selection of the top 10 times spirits and beer producers joined forces.

Jameson Caskmates

Jameson Caskmates is one of the most prominent examples of a collaboration between spirits and beer producers.

The expression was first created in 2013 when Jameson teamed up with Irish microbrewery Franciscan Well, located in Cork, to see what effect used oak whiskey barrels from the Midleton distillery would have on stout beer.

Afterwards, the now stout-seasoned barrels were returned to the distillery and refilled with Jameson Original to create Jameson Caskmates, which is said to have the triple-distilled “smoothness” of Jameson with added notes of coffee, cocoa and hops.

In December 2017, the range expanded to include the Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, an Irish whiskey finished in IPA beer barrels from Franciscan Well.

For more information, click here.

Glenfiddich IPA

Glenfiddich released a series of innovative whiskies as part of its new Experimental Collection in 2016, which included a single malt aged in ex-IPA beer barrels.

Glenfiddich’s malt master Brian Kinsman teamed up with Speyside Craft brewery to produce the single malt.

The Glenfiddich IPA Experiment is a 43% abv single malt Scotch whisky imbued with zesty citrus and tangy hops from the oak casks that had previously held a bold Speyside IPA.

For more information, click here.

Virginia Distillery Company Brewers Batch

The Virginia Distillery Company unveiled a beer barrel-finished whiskey as part of its Brewers Batch range earlier this year.

Batch #1, the first expression in the range, has been produced in collaboration with the Three Notch’d Brewing Company in Virginia.

The whiskey was aged for 12 months in casks that previously held the brewery’s Wee Heavy style beer, called Stage Road.

For more information, click here.

Chichibu IPA Cask Finish 2017

Bottled at 57.5% abv, Japanese distiller Chichibu unveiled the Chichibu IPA Cask Finish 2017 in October, with a release of 6,700 bottles. The spirit has been developed in conjunction with an unnamed Japanese craft brewer.

Original barrels from Chichibu were sent to the brewer, which used them to age their beers before returning the “beer-washed” barrels to the original company, which were then filled with whisky for between six months and three years for a period of extra-maturation.

For more information, click here.

Electric Owl Bourbon

Virgil Kaine Lowcountry Whiskey Company collaborated with craft brewer Revelry Brewing to create limited-edition Electric Owl Bourbon, matured in ex-ale barrels.

Though this is really a three-way collaboration between wine, beer and spirits, as the barrels used to mature the Bourbon first held Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon in the US, before being filled with Wild Farmhouse Ale, and then whiskey.

Electric Owl Bourbon is a nine-year-old sour mash whiskey, which is said to have flavours of tart cherry, a touch of salt and caramel notes.

For more information, click here.

Hophead Vodka

San Francisco-based distiller Hotaling & Co, formerly Anchor Distilling Company, released Hophead Vodka in 2012 – made with two varieties of hops from its on-site brewery.

Head distiller Bruce Joseph and brew master of Anchor Brewing Company Mark Carpenter collaborated on the vodka, which “captures the fresh, aromatic character of hops without the typical bitterness”.

For more information, click here.

CR&FTWERK

Louisville-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Company launched CR&FTWERK, a series of American brandies aged in beer barrels, in 2016.

The brandies were matured for 12 months in oak barrels previously used to hold beers from the 3 Floyds, Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues and Against the Grain breweries.

For more information, click here.

Grant’s Ale Cask Finish

William Grant & Sons released Grant’s Ale Cask Finish in the US in 2015, at the time the only blended Scotch whisky of its type in the American market.

Master blender Brian Kinsman led the Grant’s blending team in creating the expression in association with a small Scottish brewing company.

The team finished the variant for up to four months in barrels that were formerly filled with ale.

For more information, click here.

New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon

Michigan-based New Holland Brewing Company released Beer Barrel Bourbon in October 2012. The Bourbon is first aged in new American oak barrels followed by a resting period in Dragons Milk stout barrels.

Last year, the brewer expanded its spirits portfolio with the launch of its first beer barrel-finished rye whiskey, called Beer Barrel Rye. Bottled at 88 proof, the rye whiskey is twice-distilled and then aged in new American oak barrels before finishing in Dragon’s Milk stout barrels.

It is described as having an aroma of vanilla and allspice, which leads to flavours of honey and almond before a lingering spicy finish.

For more information, click here.

Lindemans Premium Gin

Belgium-based brewery Lindemans collaborated with Belgian distiller De Moor to launch its first gins made with beer distillate in 2015.

Lindemans Premium Gin is made with 15 botanicals and a distillate of the Old Lindemans Kriek Cuvée René.

Lindemans Premium Red Gin is distilled with the same process as the clear gin. Its bright red colour is due to the pure sour cherry juice added to the Old Lindemans Kriek Cuvée René. It is double distilled in a copper kettle and hand bottled.

For more information, click here.

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