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Best cask-strength whiskies for your first step up

What cask strength means, how to add water, and bottles to start with: Glenfarclas 105, Ardbeg Uigeadail, GlenAllachie 10 and Maker's Mark, at UK prices.

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Cask strength means the whisky was bottled without being diluted to the usual 40% to 46% ABV, so most bottles sit between 50% and 65%. It is a bottling choice, not a badge of quality or expertise. For a first bottle, Glenfarclas 105 and GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength are sherry-led Speyside malts, Ardbeg Uigeadail is peated, and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is a bourbon. Pour a small measure and add water.

What the label tells you

Whisky usually goes into the cask at around 63.5% ABV in Scotland. Its strength changes slowly over the years, and most whiskies are then reduced with water to a standard strength before bottling. A cask-strength bottling skips that last step.

Two things follow:

A strength scale from 40% to 65% ABV showing this guide's picks. Most whiskies are diluted to 40% to 46% before bottling; most cask-strength bottles sit between 50% and 65%. Whisky usually goes into the cask at around 63.5% in Scotland. The picks, from strongest: Highland Park Cask Strength No.4 at 64.3%; Glenfarclas 105 at 60%; GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 13 at 59.8%; Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength at 57.5% for this batch; Ardbeg Corryvreckan at 57.1%; Maker's Mark Cask Strength at 54% to 57% depending on the batch; and Ardbeg Uigeadail at 54.2%.

There is no legal definition of cask strength, and no minimum ABV for the term. Whiskipedia’s page on cask-strength whisky explains the background, and its page on filling strength explains where the cask’s starting strength comes from.

How to pour it

Water can make some whiskies cloudy, which is harmless. Whiskipedia explains the role of water.

Sherry-cask Speyside

Glenfarclas 105 (£69.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Speyside single malt, 60% ABV, matured in sherry casks. The name is the old British proof figure: 105 proof is 60% ABV. Glenfarclas has been owned by the Grant family since 1865.

GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 13 (£69.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Speyside single malt, 59.8% ABV, matured in a mix of sherry and other casks. Each batch has a different strength and cask make-up.

Peated

Ardbeg Uigeadail (currently unavailable). Islay single malt, 54.2% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (£74.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Islay single malt, 57.1% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon and French oak casks.

Highland Park Cask Strength No.4 (£59.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Single malt from Kirkwall on Orkney, 64.3% ABV. Highland Park peats part of its malt with Orkney peat, so the smoke is lighter than on Islay. At this strength, water is close to essential.

Bourbon and Irish

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength (£69.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Kentucky wheated bourbon released at 108 to 114 US proof (54% to 57% ABV), depending on the batch. Bourbon must be aged in new charred oak, which gives vanilla and caramel.

Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength (currently unavailable). Single pot still Irish whiskey from Midleton, released in batches; this one is 57.5% ABV. It is the full-strength version of Redbreast 12 Year Old.

More cask-strength whisky to compare

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

What is cask strength whisky?
Whisky bottled at the strength it comes out of the cask, without water added to bring it down to the usual 40% to 46% ABV. There is no legal minimum for the term. Most cask-strength Scotch sits between about 50% and 65% ABV; Glenfarclas 105 is bottled at 60%. See Whiskipedia on cask-strength whisky.
Should I add water to cask-strength whisky?
Most people do. Start with a few drops, taste, and add more until the alcohol stops masking the aroma. As a guide, one part water to three parts whisky brings 60% ABV down to about 45%, and one part water to two parts whisky brings it to about 40%.
Is cask strength better?
It is not a quality grade. It gives you more flavour per measure and lets you choose your own dilution, but it also means more alcohol: a 25 ml measure at 60% ABV is 1.5 UK units, against 1 unit at 40%.
How strong is cask-strength whisky?
Usually 50% to 65% ABV, and it varies by batch or cask. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is released at 108 to 114 US proof (54% to 57% ABV); Glenfarclas 105 is 60%; Highland Park Cask Strength releases have been above 63%. Older casks can fall much lower, because strength drops slowly as a whisky ages. The exact figure is always on the label.

About the author

Tom Gregan

· Writer

Tom came to whisky by way of cocktails and rum. As the mind behind CocktailDB.com he spent years on citrus balance, bitters and modifiers before John dragged him over to neat spirits.