Roe & Co launches solera whiskey

Diageo-owned Irish whiskey Roe & Co has created a new expression that uses some of the first casks produced at the Dublin-based distillery.

The solera method is a fractional finishing process, where whiskey is aged in one cask before a certain proportion is transferred to a different cask and the original cask is topped up with new liquid. The process allows liquids to blend and ensures that every bottling contains an amount of older liquid. In Roe & Co’s method, each ‘layer’ uses a different cask type, creating an ‘ever-evolving flavour profile over time’. Casks featured in the final expressions include both refill and first-fill American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, alligator char American oak barrels, chestnut barrels with two custom-toasting profiles and four types of Sherry cask. Head distiller Lora Hemy said: “With this expression, we’re looking at how we layer complex depths of flavour and texture in new and interesting ways. “It is exciting to take a different approach and gather inspiration directly from the world of mixed drinks, with a process-forward approach to whiskey. “This release showcases the balance between the distillery’s impact on spirit character and the impact of wood, with a process that allows both to shine. “The result is a whiskey packed full of flavour and quite unlike anything else we have seen in Irish whiskey. There is a lot more body to this than most triple-distilled whiskey releases – that is quite deliberate, as we took inspiration from winemaking to add texture.” Roe & Co Solera Single Malt is bottled at 46% ABV and will retail for €85 (US$92) for a 700ml bottle. “Working with the solera process has allowed us to craft the delicate elements of each cask profile without any of them dominating the recipe,” continued Hemy. “As the solera process is a constant filling and refilling, the process offers an ever-evolving flavour profile, but with remnants of the first-ever cask distilled at our distillery remaining ever-present in solera editions long into the future. “The idea that we have this evolving story and that the hands of everybody who has ever worked here will be part of every single bottle is incredible.”