Uisge Beatha Whisky prices compared

Wine cask whisky

Wine cask whisky has been finished or matured in oak casks that previously held wine: red, white or sweet. This page compares UK prices on bottles whose label or description names a wine cask, from producers such as Ledaig, Arran, Kilchoman, Port Charlotte, Antiquary and Indri.

Most are finishes, where the whisky spends a final period in the wine cask; full maturation in wine casks is less common. The wine types named on this page include Sauternes, Rioja, Tokaji, Moscatel, claret, Maury and Pinot Noir. Sherry and port are fortified wines, but so many whiskies use them that they have their own pages: sherry cask and port cask.

We tag a bottle when its name or a retailer’s description mentions a wine cask, so a wine-finished bottle that does not say so may be missing. For how casks work, see Whiskipedia on wood types.

140 bottles in stock, with the best current price from the UK retailers we check.

Questions

What is the cheapest wine cask whisky?
The cheapest wine cask whisky is The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth Irish Whiskey 70cl (70cl), at £26.95 from Master of Malt. That is £31.90 delivered to the UK mainland for one bottle. Next cheapest: Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish (£33.92) and The One Fine Blended Whisky Moscatel Cask (£35.83).
How much does wine cask whisky cost?
Wine cask whisky costs from £26.95 to £1,426.95, with a median of £89.95 for a full-size bottle. The dearest is Glenfiddich 31 Year Old Grand Chateau.
What is the oldest wine cask whisky you can buy?
Glenfiddich 31 Year Old Grand Chateau, at 31 years old, from £1,426.95.
What is a barrique?
A barrique is a French wine barrel, standardised in Bordeaux at 225 litres; the Burgundy equivalent holds about 228 litres. French barriques are mostly French oak, and whisky makers often use ex-wine barriques for finishing.
What does a wine cask do to whisky?
Whiskipedia describes Bordeaux casks as adding sweet toffee, summer berries and toasty oak, and wine casks generally bring fruity, sweet and tart notes and a richer colour. Barriques are small, so their effect comes through fairly quickly.
What is an STR cask?
STR stands for shaved, toasted and re-charred, a process developed by whisky scientist Dr Jim Swan. Fresh red wine casks are shaved inside to remove the most wine-soaked wood, then toasted and re-charred, giving a mix of virgin oak and a subtler red wine influence. Kilchoman, Kavalan, Penderyn, Cotswolds and Kingsbarns are among the distilleries known to have used them.
Are sherry and port casks wine casks?
Technically yes, because sherry and port are fortified wines, but the whisky trade treats them as categories of their own because so many whiskies use them: see sherry cask and port cask. ‘Wine cask’ usually means other wines, such as Sauternes, Rioja and Tokaji.