Dear friend of fine spirits,
We just bottled two rather amazing versions of the Low Gap whiskey. Both are wheat: whiskies distilled in 2010, thus over 2 years in oak. In its clear (unaged) version, this wheat whiskey was MALT ADVOCATE’s Artisan whiskey of the year in 2012. The reviewer said he couldn’t wait to see what the spirit would do after aging. Well, here it is.
LOW GAP 2-YEAR WHISKEY is absolutely beautiful stuff. I do not exaggerate by sayingthat it is superior to any whiskey I know of under ten years; soft, richly flavored, complex, long-lasting. $65 for a 750ML is a very fair price.
How can this be? It’s because distiller Crispin Cain is using one of Germain-Robin’s antique cognac stills. We wouldn’t trade them for any other: entirely hand-controlled, 100% (thick) copper, graceful swan’s-neck and rounded chapiteaux that cause significant rectification. One batch takes four distillations (three beer distillations, one second distillation), each lasting 10 hours; the result is consistently soft, smooth, flavorful, with beautiful length.
Crispin’s LOW GAP SINGLE BARREL WHEAT NO. 1 is even better. He paid a lot of attention to this batch in the cellar, moving it among new American oak and a used bourbon barrel (from Van Winkle) and finishing with a Limousin barrel earlier used for Germain-Robin. The soft complexity is genuinely extraordinary $75/750ML 50.2% abv.
Don’t miss the PEAR DE PEAR LIQUEUR. We sold a lot of it over the holidays.
Have a wonderful 2013/Ansley Coale