Selecting the right whisky often seems to be a straightforward task. Nevertheless it takes many samples before we find the right whisky that can carry an Archives label.
Selecting casks to bottle by one person can already be hard, selecting the right casks with a unanimous vote by three people makes it challenging. We all have a different preferred style of whisky we like. We do know what our fans like but to combine this in a selection proces keeps us focussed and highly selective.
Sourcing casks in a demanding market is easier said then done. Through networks and building relationships we have gained access to some good sources.
After finding the casks we will taste every sample which rules out 95% of the offered casks. Our standard demands balanced and pure whisky.
The maturity of the samples differs from time to time. We are building our own stock to monitor the development of the liquid inside the casks. We just select we don’t adjust the whisky.
With 3 people responsible for selecting the whisky we made it harder to find the right samples. But we all aim for the highest quality. Personal interest and personal flavour profiles are less important.
Once selected and approved we bottle the whisky. To keep the maximum flavour we don’t chill filter or dilute the whisky. We bottle straight from the cask.
The final step is to match a label to the whisky. This can be a small link in color or the way a fish or birds looks like. A friendly whisky deserves a friendly label. A more challenging whisky gets a bolder label.