Double Dutch
Cherrywood Smoked Single Malt and Cherry Eau-de-Vie Finished in a ex Porter Stout ex Sherry Cask
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NY Danko Rye (Oeschner Farms) malted and smoked with Cherrywood by Valley Malt
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Milled, Fermented, Double Pot Distilled and aged in a Kelvin Cooperage Barrel at Matchbook Distilling
- Bittner Singer Orchard Cherry Eau-de-Vie
- Single run pot column distillation
- Blend: 1 part Cherry Eau-de-Vie : 2.5 parts Cherrywood Smoked Single Malt
- 750ml
- 47% alc by vol
INTO THE BOTTLE
I picked up a bottle of Compass Box Affinity, a blend of Scotch Malt Whiskey's and Calvados. I poured some into my glass, I smelled it and tasted it.. I marveled at it. The name affinity was perfect. The apple spirit and the malts just worked together -- amplifying each others best qualities. I poured another glass and by the end of the week the bottle was finished.
We set off, inspired by the notion of affinity -- and suddenly, we were seeing it all around us. When you think about it, why would mixing rich flavorful grains and juicy fruits be anything BUT a delight.. the North Fork is dotted with farm stands selling award winning pies! What is a pie if not fruits and grains transfigured into a total sensory treat. Take your pie ingredients, ferment the sugars into alcohol, distill -- and you have all the rich aromas of freshly made orchard fruit pie captured in the bottle. Need I say more..?
Our cherrywood smoked single malt rye is one of my favorite spirits on the planet. The malting of the rye creates length and elegance for the typically spicy grain. The cherrywood smoke comes through with its characteristic fruitiness, lending a gently smokey sweetness. The eau de vie had been resting in glass for a few years before we blended it in with the rye -- a big cherry bomb of flavor. True to form, it's made 100% from Bittner Singer Orchard cherries, never adding sugar to bump yields.
100% NY Grown.
The single malt rye used in Double Dutch is Danko Rye, which is grown by Thor Oeschner. This rye is known for its robust and spicy flavor, which pairs perfectly with the sweet and fruity taste of cherry eau de vie. To give the rye an even more complex flavor profile, it is malted and smoked with cherrywood by Valley Malt. We milled, mashed, fermented and distilled the smoked malted danko rye and aged the whiskey in a Kelvin Cooperage Cask for 2+ years.
We fermented the cherry juice for 2 weeks with champagne yeast at cool temperatures before a pot column distillation and a 3 year nap in glass demijohns. Fruits are full of esters, those flavor compounds created by the combination of acid chains and alcohols. Fruits make them, fermentations cause them to be created, barrel aging under the right circumstances sees new esters being created and recreated. These volatile organic compounds which caste the glow of fruity, sometimes floral smells, build flavor. In Double Dutch, we're harnessing the powers of esters and esterification throughout the line of production, beginning with the esters present in the fruit, its fermentation, the fermentation and distillation and aging of the single malt, the barrel aging in the 2 different casks.
Lindsey Kate designed the label for Double Dutch. The name and design are meant to capture the spirit of duality and synergy. Just like the intricate jump rope game that bears the same name, Double Dutch represents the artful interplay of flavors, where the distinct qualities of cherry eau-de-vie and cherrywood smoked single malt rye intertwine and complement, working in harmony.
The name also pays homage to the blending process itself, where two distinct spirits come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. It reflects the intention and deep familiarity with the spirits required to balance the rich flavors of the cherry eau-de-vie and the cherrywood smoked single malt rye.
I hope the bottle conjures a sense of excitement and adventure.. and that it provides a dash of liquid courage to push boundaries and explore new possibilities. Happy exploring!