Cask Finished Gin Series
Copperworks Cask Finished Gin Series
New Oak Cask Finished Gin
We age this gin for roughly three months in in charred, new American Oak barrels – the same barrels Copperworks uses to age its single malt whiskey. Aging in new oak softens the juniper notes and adds distinctive essences of vanilla, caramel and spices.
Hair of the Dog Brewing Cask Finished Collection
About the collection: In early 2022, legendary Portland brewery Hair of the Dog Brewing Company announced its closure after nearly 30 years in business. Hair of the Dog was known for creative, richly flavored brews and was barrel aging beer way before it was cool. This was our first (and likely last) chance to acquire casks from this craft beer pioneer. Considering our own origins as brewers, we knew we couldn’t miss out on the opportunity.
This collection features two single cask American Single Malt whiskeys and two cask finished gins. Each product was finished in a cask previously used by Hair of the Dog, resulting in unique flavors that represent the endless possibilities when craft brewing meets craft distilling.
The two cask finished gins in this collection are equally as distinct and delicious. They share the same base: Copperworks Small Batch Gin, our ten-botanical recipe. Each gin was entered into a cask previously used by Hair of the Dog, mirroring the journey of their whiskey counterparts.
- “Matt” Cask Finished Gin
- Tasting Notes: Cocoa powder surprises and delights on the nose with dark chocolate, pine, and mint intermingling. Sweet citrus is abundant on the palate, with yuzu and creamsicle while vanilla, white pepper, and a touch of grape pomace balance the sweetness. The finish is melted vanilla ice cream with a touch of chinotto and mint.
- Production Notes: Finished for 8 months in a Hair of the Dog “Matt” cask, a sherry cask that previously held Hair of the Dog’s Matt American Strong ale. 50% ABV. 319 bottles produced.
- “Adam” Cask Finished Gin
- Tasting Notes: Bright and fresh like a spring day, the nose offers notes of sugared ruby red grapefruit, kumquat, tart cherries, and cinnamon. The palate follows with freshly smashed chocolate orange accompanied by monkey bread, tangerine, cotton candy, and sage, all supported by the small batch gin base. Rounding out the experience are hints of sugar cane, cherry pie filling, sarsaparilla, and spice.
- Production Notes: Finished for 8 months in a Hair of the Dog “Adam” cask, a bourbon cask that previously held Hair of the Dog’s Adam ale. 47.05% ABV. 198 bottles produced.
For details on the American Single Malt Whiskeys in this collection, click here.
Past Editions
Cognac Cask Finished Gin
This gin rested in a 300-liter cask that previously held cognac. With that big of a cask, the gin took considerable time to pick up the flavors from the cognac that we were after — longer than any cask finished gin we’ve produced so far. This release offers aromas of lemon cake, frankincense, and cedar leading to flavors of sandalwood, mint, leather, and exotic spice flavors. It has a long finish of candied ginger, more sandalwood, and bitter orange.
Amaro Cask Finished Gin
This single-cask edition of Copperworks Cask Finished Gin was finished for six months in a cask that previously held Amaro Amorino from Letterpress Distilling, and before that the cask held Copperworks American Single Malt Whiskey. This gin offers aromas of menthol and peppermint, with juniper taking a backseat. Flavors of sarsaparilla and star anise, with a bittersweet finish.
Plum Cask Finished Gin
Starting 2017, each year we have filled a barrel with a large amount of Italian Prune Plums from Warm Valley Orchard on Orcas Island, WA. We add gin and let it rest for several months. The resulting cask finished gin offered floral, sage, and black cherry aromas and tart, fruity flavors. This gin has the most intense flavor changes of any of the cask finished gins in our series.
IPA Cask Finished Gin
Copperworks emptied a barrel of Copperworks New Oak Cask Finished Gin and gave the barrel to Elliott Bay Brewing who used it to create a barrel-aged version of their Demolition IPA. They sent the barrel back and we filled it with gin and let it rest for almost a year. The result is a cask finished gin that offers notes of lemon balm, tannin, peppermint and, not surprisingly, finishes with bitter hop notes.
Tonic Cask Finished Gin
This gin matured in a barrel that was previously used to age Bradley’s Kina Tonic Syrup. Before that, the barrel aged another local gin and before that, it held Old Heaven Hill Bourbon for seven years. The result is a cask-finished gin that tastes like a Copperworks Gin and Tonic reduction, with big, complex flavor.
Amaretto Cask Finished Gin
This gin was finished for five months in a cask that previously held amaretto created by Sons of Vancouver Distillery in Vancouver, British Columbia. This limited edition gin offers aromas of cedar, incense, candied orange, and cinnamon with flavors of orange rind, marzipan, and slight menthol coolness, with a finish of chai tea, and citrus notes.
Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask Finished Gin
This gin rested for more than fourteen months in a 500-liter cask that previously held Pedro Ximénez Sherry. The sherry finish comes through with notes of raisins, maple syrup, and some tropical fruit. Those initial flavors are followed by rich orange liqueur notes and ample spice.
Chai Cider Cask Finished Gin
This gin was finished in an oak cask that was previously used to age a Chai-flavored cider from Schilling Cider, a cidery near Seattle. Before that, the cask held a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. In this cask finished gin, the juniper takes a back seat to more subtle, yet complex, flavors of cardamom, bay leaf, and lemon balm.
Oloroso Sherry Barrel Gin
This gin rested for 250 days in an oak cask that was previously used to age an Oloroso sherry. This gin opens with a bouquet of mulling spices and maple sugar candy with bitter orange in the mid-palate. Notes of stone fruit and dried figs come in for a distinctively sherry cask finish.
Port Barrel Gin
This gin was aged for roughly four months in an oak barrel from Spain that was previously used to age port. It offers notes of dark cocoa and blackberry on the palate, with anise and toasted pine nuts in the finish.
Mezcal Barrel Gin
This gin was aged for nearly five months in an oak barrel that was previously used to age mezcal. The barrel imparted an earthy, slightly sweet flavor, with a spicy finish. Surprisingly, no smoky notes from the mezcal was imparted to the gin this aged gin, but we detected tropical fruit and brown sugar notes.
Rum Barrel Gin
This gin was aged for 10 months in an American oak barrel that was previously used to age rum from 3 Howls, a fellow craft distillery in Seattle. The barrel held 3 Howls Rum, made from 100% sweet Barbados molasses, for one year before arriving at Copperworks. Our Rum Barrel Gin offers aromas of rum cake and orange, with flavors of cinnamon and candied fruit balancing out the botanicals.
Gin Barrel Gin
This is Copperworks Gin aged in a barrel that was previously used to age Copperworks Gin. We took what had been a new charred American Oak barrel before it was used to age our New Barrel Gin. We then filled that barrel up again with Copperworks Gin and let it age for 100 days. As with our other aged gins, the juniper is a little softer and the botanicals still come through. This one offers a nice burnt-orange finish.
Peat Barrel Gin
This single-cask release of Copperworks Gin was aged in an American Oak barrel that was previously used to age a peated malt whiskey. The gin has a definitive smoky finish.
Malt Barrel Gin
This is Copperworks Gin that was aged for just over six months in an American Oak barrel previously used to age all-malt whiskey. The barrel aging gave it soft vanilla and oak notes, but it definitely retained its juniper spiciness. There’s a hint of sweetness, with orange and cinnamon in the nose.
Copperworks Peated Cask Finished Gin (Laphroaig Cask)
This gin rested for seven months in a cask that previously held Laphroaig Whisky. It offers aromas of driftwood smoke, musk, pine tar, and cedar lead to flavors of matcha green tea, tobacco, and cardamom. Finishes with a long incense and cigar smoke impression.
Copperworks Peated Cask Finished Gin (Caol Ila Cask)
This gin rested for 10 months in a cask that previously held Caol Ila Whisky. It offers aromas of fresh lime, campfire, cumin, sandalwood, and grilled pineapple that lead to earthy, heather, blackberry honey, and citrus pith flavors. Finishes with notes of leather, desert spices (particularly sage), and a rounding earthiness.
Limited Release: Imperial Stout Cask Finished Gin
This release was finished in barrels that previously held Tompkins Imperial Stout from Three Magnets Brewing Co. in Olympia, Washington. Three Magnets aged its Tompkins Imperial Stout in a handful of 53-gallon American Oak barrels that we had used to mature Copperworks American Single Malt Whiskey. They released that beer as Three Magnets “Copperworks Tompkins Imperial Stout” beer in August 2019. They sent barrels back to us and we filled two of them with Copperworks Gin and let it rest for just over a year.
Spanish Brandy & Jamaican Rum Cask Finished Gin
We placed our Small Batch Gin in a Spanish brandy cask for just over two years. While the Spanish brandy cask made a significant contribution to the flavor, the gin just wasn’t quite ready. After an additional six months in a Jamaican rum cask, the funk and flavor of the two casks married deliciously. This is the second longest cask finished gin we have released to date. 50% ABV. 264 bottles produced.