Single malt whisky is a symbol of Scottish heritage, a spirit renowned for its rich complexity of flavours, built on captivating stories and time-honoured traditions. Among these traditions is the art of ‘independent bottling’, bringing unique perspectives to whisky – shaping, preserving and often improving the whisky-drinking experience.
At Epic Drams, we are proud to join this tradition by offering a new, exceptional single cask whisky bottlings. Our releases celebrate authenticity, masterful craftsmanship, and the pursuit of extraordinary flavours.
Independent whisky bottlers play a vital role in the industry. They source casks directly from private owners or single malt whisky distilleries and bottle them to their own specifications under their own label. They often release distinctive whiskies that would otherwise remain unavailable to the wider public, sometimes showcasing small, lesser-known, or underrepresented distilleries.
This provides whisky enthusiasts with access to a diverse range of whiskies that go beyond the traditional distillery releases, allowing enthusiasts a chance to explore new flavours and broaden their whisky experience.
At Epic Drams, we go a step further, not only by embracing this philosophy, but by solely offering cask strength single cask whisky.
At the heart of Epic Drams lies a passion for single cask whisky.
As the name suggests, each release is bottled directly from one solitary cask, untouched by the usual process of vatting or blending. Whereas single malt whisky is traditionally a blend of multiple casks of malt whisky across many years from the same distillery.
Additionally, single malt whisky is sometimes ‘chill filtered’, a process whereby the whisky is rapidly chilled to between 0°C and -4°C and then run through a filter. This method prevents the whisky from becoming cloudy when exposed to low temperatures during storage or transportation, ensuring its appearance always remains clear.
However, the single cask approach ensures that every release presents a unique character, untouched by any intervention and completely influenced by its oak cask, previous contents, and years of maturation. It offers enthusiasts a singular, never-to-be-repeated journey into the essence of its origins – a true snapshot of time and place.
Most single malt whiskies are diluted with deionised water at the point of bottling, usually to around 40-46% alcohol by volume (ABV).
However, cask strength Scotch whisky is bottled directly from the cask without dilution, offering the spirit in its purest, most natural form. This unaltered state preserves the unique flavours, mouthfeel, and essence of each cask while retaining its natural alcohol content, typically ranging from 50-65% ABV.
Scotch whisky connoisseurs highly value cask strength whisky for its bold character and the flexibility to enjoy it in its natural form for an authentic experience or diluted with a drop of water to uncover its nuanced layers.
Once the cask is filled with ‘new make spirit’, it is transferred to a warehouse to embark on its maturation and eventual transformation into whisky. There, it will rest undisturbed for a minimum of three years and one day, as the law requires. However, most whisky is matured for much longer.
During the heat of the day the casks expand very slightly and during the night they contract. This movement in the wood allows for the spirit to be soaked up and released back into the cask, carrying influences from the oak, like vanillin and tannins, and filling the spirit with rich colour, aroma and flavour.
The cask also triggers a phenomenon which results in the loss of some of the spirit over time, which is referred to in the industry as the ‘angels’ share’.
According to Scottish folklore, the angels descended from heaven to claim their share of maturing malt in payment for turning a ‘blind eye’ to the ‘scurrilous’ practice of whisky distillation. This portion taken by the angels, or the ‘angels’ share’, is a rather romantic term, but in reality, the phenomenon is rooted entirely in science.
The term refers to the evaporation of spirit from the cask during maturation. As the cask ‘breathes’ with the movement of gases, alcohol gradually escapes into the atmosphere. The rate of loss can vary, but on average, 1-2% of the spirit stored in warehouses across Scotland evaporates each year. This means that by the time a whisky reaches 20 years of age, it may have lost up to 40% of its original liquid volume.
At Epic Drams, we are proud to be a new voice in the world of single cask whisky bottlings. Guided by our motto, ‘Straight from the Cask to the Bottle’, we strive to showcase the finest whiskies, making them accessible, and bottling them for our customers at reasonable prices.
We will release a new single cask bottling on the second Saturday of every month at 10am, only available via our website, and only direct to customers. There will be a limited number of bottles in stock from each cask, so when a batch has sold out, it will be gone forever.
Each whisky is meticulously handpicked for its exceptional quality and distinctive character, ensuring every bottle tells its own story. We work closely with distilleries to uphold authenticity and excellence at every step of the process.
We’d love for you to join us on this journey of discovering Scotland’s single cask whiskies. Our first Epic Turn is Linkwood and will be released on Saturday 22nd February. To find out more and secure your bottle, please click here to order.
Epic Drams is an independent whisky bottler focusing on unique expressions from Scotland’s top distilleries.
Explore our selection of single cask whiskies, each captures the unique character and tradition of its origin. Each cask has been bottled straight from the cask without any dilution, filtering or interference of any kind to preserve its distinctive, authentic profile.
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