Amber Lane creates ‘world-first’ Chartreuse whisky
Australia’s Amber Lane has released Rue de La Chartreuse, a whisky aged in a Chartreuse cask that the distillery claims to be the 'first of its kind'.
The whisky from the distillery, which is located on Australia's central coast, was aged in a 225-litre yellow Chartreuse barrel for seven months. The finish has given the whisky a yellow colouring, much like the French herbal liqueur’s hue. Amber Lane's co-owner Rod Berry said: “We are absolutely delighted to finally bring our Rue de la Chartreuse to the market. This whisky has been a five-year labour of love for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “Our goal was to pay homage to the traditional Chartreuse liqueur, which is steeped in about 130 botanicals. The recipe for Chartreuse is such a closely guarded secret – the monks even have botanicals not included in the recipe delivered to the distillery to disguise the correct list of components – so we knew our offering had to have the depth of flavour, richness and vibrancy of the much-beloved Chartreuse liqueur. “The whisky’s name is also a little tribute to the traditional Chartreuse, with a French spin on Amber Lane. Our mission is to take people on a whisky journey, hence the ‘lane’ part of our moniker; in this case, we want to take people down a French laneway – the Road of Chartreuse – where they can try something that has never been done before.” Rue de la Chartreuse has notes of honey, botanicals, lemon meringue, vanilla, gentle spice and a hint of aniseed. Before resting in the yellow Chartreuse cask, the whisky was aged in a single Bourbon cask from Kentucky’s Heaven Hill, to which it was returned following its Chartreuse ageing. The distillery added that the blend has been approved by the Chevalier of the Order of Chartreuse, who are formally trained representatives of the Chartreuse monk order. The whisky has an ABV of 46% with 230 bottles available for purchase, at an RRP of AU$195 (US$125). It will launch officially on 16 May, which is International Chartreuse Day. For more innovative product launches, check out our top 10 from last year.
