Copper & Cask 9-Year Double Oak Bourbon Whiskey Batch 018

Secondary maturation is an art form that often straddles the razor's edge between brilliance and catastrophic over-oaking, as an overly aggressive stave can quickly ruin a meticulously aged distillate. Copper & Cask circumvents that danger entirely with Batch 018. The blender plunged deep into their reserves to unearth a remarkably mature nine-year-old Indiana bourbon. Then, they subjected the liquid to a bold secondary slumber in heavily charred ZAK Cooperage Wave Stave barrels. It works. The rigorous whiskey-to-wood interaction extracts a dense, brooding sweetness without allowing those astringent tannins to hijack the underlying flavor profile. At a formidable 117.4 proof, the spirit commands immediate attention rather than passively begging for it.

Sourced strictly from a beloved low-rye mashbill, the fundamental architecture here is deeply traditional. The prolonged primary aging occurred across both Indiana and Kentucky before geographic latitude shifts brought the heavy barrels north to Rhode Island. There, Master Blender Stephen Corrigan meticulously oversaw the precise re-barreling process, intentionally transferring the whiskey into new charred American oak to fundamentally rewrite the spirit’s trajectory. Uncut and unfiltered, it feels downright lavish. You get the raw intensity of a cask-strength bruiser. Simultaneously, that heat is elegantly tempered by the rich caramelized sugars aggressively coaxed from the fresh secondary casks.

• Distilled from a classic low-rye mashbill and aged for a minimum of 9 years
• Subjected to an extensive double-oaking process in heavily charred Wave Stave casks
• Bottled uncut and non-chill filtered at a formidable 117.4 proof

Nose: Demerara sugar and espresso.

Palate: Dark maple syrup, creme brûlée, cocoa powder, candied orange peel, burnt sugar, and chocolate-covered cherries.

Finish: Gripping and persistent. The sweetness slowly yields to flamed orange peel, deeply toasted almonds, and a lingering mocha bitterness.

The formidable proof and caramelized depth demand robust companions. Pair this pour with a dry-aged ribeye heavily crusted with black peppercorns. Alternatively, intense dark chocolate truffles effortlessly amplify the whiskey’s inherent mocha and toasted almond notes. Smoked gouda also serves as a superb counterpoint to the spirit’s dark fruit sweetness.