Reserve #1 – First Single Malt Whisky

€ 139,00

COLLECTORS BOX FIRST EDITION – NUMBERED & SIGNED

QUAD CASK – CASK STRENGTH – 61% vol.

Our Reserve #1 is a unique Single Malt bottle that we distilled between 2015 and 2019 and matured in exceptional casks: new French oak casks, first-fill bourbon casks, and very old, hand-selected, Oloroso and PX sherry casks. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating this exclusive first edition.

Alcohol %: 61%
Bottle volume: 70 cl
Maturation: Quad cask: virgin oak, bourbon, oloroso sherry and PX sherry
Bottles / batch: 2540 Limited First Edition

– INTERNATIONAL AWARDS –

 

 

SKU: RESERVE Categories: ,

Description

Since 2014, we have been distilling our single malt whisky at the farm. Since new make spirit must mature in a cask for at least 3 years and one day to be called whisky, we could have theoretically released our first Pajotse whisky in 2017. But we didn’t. As an independent distillery, quality always comes first for us, and we decided it was better to only bottle that first Single Malt in 2024. It’s a story of great patience, but that’s alright; whisky makers are, after all, very patient people. Time is a precious commodity, and it truly makes something valuable exceptional.

This is how we make... the difference

Finely distilled to capture the essence of flavor

When we make whisky, we first brew an ‘undrinkable’ beer. The brewing process is similar, but there are also significant differences. It starts with the barley grain and the milling. For our beers, we want to filter after mashing, which is why we don’t mill the grain too finely, to create a natural filter bed. We don’t do that for our whisky. We mill much finer to maximize yield and to bring out the malt flavor even more. We don’t filter it; instead, we distill it on the full grain.

This already sets us apart from other brands. This full grain ensures a true malt flavor in our new make spirit.

”Our hybrid stills combine the best of two worlds: the pot still with a whisky helmet ensures full malt flavors, and by engaging the column at the right moment, we also capture the finer fruit esters.

Manu De CortMaster Distiller

We ferment at the farm where we also make our lambic. This can have an impact on the flavor evolution during fermentation. We also ferment much longer than usual. By allowing fermentation for up to 2 weeks instead of 48 hours, beautiful fruit esters develop. These can be beautifully carried over into the new make spirit by our hybrid copper Holstein stills. The resulting spirit is purer, smoother, and finer.

Time to let it rest...

Our Reserve #1 was distilled between 2015 and 2019 and matured in four different casks. A first portion in small new French oak casks that provide extra tannins. A second portion in first-fill Bourbon casks: American oak, in turn, provides extra sweetness and vanilla. This sweetness also comes from the heavy charring of these casks. The cell walls of the wood, and the sugars they are composed of, are so caramelized that they dissolve into our spirit.

A third portion matured in vintage Oloroso sherry casks. Casks that we hand-selected in Jerez (by tasting the sherry) and in which sherry had matured for at least 35 (!) years.

That also applies to the last and fourth portion of our quad cask Reserve #1 edition: vintage PX casks.

NO FINISHING?

Whiskies are often matured for years in used Bourbon casks and then finished for a few more months in special casks like sherry or moscatel… We don’t do that. What we put into a cask stays there until we empty it for bottling. This is also the case for our Reserve #1. The portion that was in a cask has remained in that cask since distillation.

Only the very best casks...

As a small family distillery, bringing your first single malt to market is a very big step. We truly worked towards this for over 10 years. It’s only natural that we want only the best in our very first bottle. We therefore personally selected our absolute top casks, in virgin oak, bourbon, and sherry alike.

Casks that we considered bottling as single casks. But for our Reserve #1, only the very best casks were good enough. Truly the reserve of our distillery. We therefore bottled it at cask strength: 61% vol. Without any filtering, without any additives, without any coloring… 100% natural, and that is what distinguishes us as De Cort Distillery.

CONCOURS MONDIAL

SILVER MEDAL 2024

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION MEDALS

Since 2015, our artisanal distillery has already won several medals at international competitions. An achievement we are extremely proud of as a still young distillery. A recognition from renowned expert juries for our smooth and rich spirits.

With our very first whisky, we immediately won a silver medal at the renowned Spirit Selection of Concours Mondial in 2024.

But the most important recognition we receive is always from our customers and visitors after a Tour & Tasting. Thank you for that!

100% recycled bottles

Every bottle that leaves the farm is also bottled at the farm. We didn’t just choose any bottle. Our bottle is made in Europe from 100% recycled bottles. It’s the first time they have succeeded in producing a bottle to which no new glass was added. This has resulted in beautiful imperfections, just like with our distillates, where nature plays the most important role in the entire process.

From the soil where the raw materials grow to the box containing the bottles and every step in between… that’s the quality we guarantee.

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