Why It’s On Our Shelves
A limited gently smoked English single malt whisky, bringing together whisky matured in American Bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks.
Produced in Norfolk by English Whisky →
Produced at St George's Distillery in Norfolk, The English Gently Smoked Double Cask combines two classic cask influences in one Small Batch release.
The American Bourbon barrels bring creamy sweetness and vanilla-led character, while the Oloroso sherry casks contribute richer fruit and spice. Running beneath both is a gentle thread of smoke – present enough to give the whisky character without dominating everything around it.
On the nose you'll find marshmallow, vanilla sponge and soft smoke. Ginger, nutmeg and figs develop on the palate, while a little water encourages stewed orchard fruit to emerge.
The finish leaves a gentle, slightly sweet bonfire smoke.
With only 2,100 bottles produced, this is a limited Norfolk single malt that provides an interesting middle ground for whisky drinkers who enjoy smoke but don't necessarily want it to dominate the glass.
What does The English Gently Smoked Double Cask taste like?
This whisky combines sweetness, fruit, warming spice and gentle smoke.
Nose: Marshmallow and vanilla sponge with soft smoke underneath.
Palate: Ginger, nutmeg and figs. Add a little water and stewed orchard fruit begins to emerge.
Finish: Gentle, slightly sweet bonfire smoke that lingers without becoming overpowering.
What casks are used for Gently Smoked Double Cask?
This Small Batch release brings together whisky matured in two different types of cask:
American Standard Bourbon Barrels and Oloroso Sherry Casks.
The combination allows the characteristics associated with each style of cask to contribute to the finished whisky rather than relying upon a single maturation influence.
What does a Bourbon cask add to whisky?
American Bourbon barrels can contribute flavours including vanilla and sweetness to whisky during maturation.
Those characteristics are particularly apparent here in the marshmallow and vanilla sponge notes found on the nose.
What does an Oloroso sherry cask add to whisky?
Oloroso is a rich, dry style of Spanish sherry, and casks that have previously held it are widely used for whisky maturation.
They can contribute dried fruit, nutty and spicy characteristics, complementing the sweeter vanilla influence of the Bourbon barrels.
In this Double Cask release, those richer characteristics help create the fig and warming spice notes found on the palate.
What does Double Cask whisky mean?
In this case, Double Cask refers to the combination of two different cask types used to create the finished whisky.
Rather than being defined solely by Bourbon or sherry-cask maturation, whisky from American Bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks has been brought together to create the final expression.
The objective is balance – allowing the sweetness and vanilla of one cask style to sit alongside the richer fruit and spice of the other.
How smoky is The English Gently Smoked Double Cask?
As its name suggests, this is intended to be a gently smoked whisky rather than an intensely smoky one.
Smoke sits underneath the sweeter and fruitier characteristics rather than overwhelming them, eventually becoming particularly noticeable in the slightly sweet bonfire-smoke finish.
That makes it an interesting choice if you're beginning to explore smoky whisky or simply prefer smoke as part of the flavour rather than the dominant characteristic.
What's the difference between Gently Smoked and Heavily Smoked English Whisky?
The distinction is primarily about the prominence of the smoke.
The English Gently Smoked Double Cask combines mellow smoke with vanilla sweetness, fruit and warming spice from its Bourbon and Oloroso casks.
The English Heavily Smoked Cask Fusion, by comparison, places smoke much more prominently alongside dark fruit, molasses, vanilla and wood.
If you like some smoke but still want the sweeter cask characteristics clearly apparent, Gently Smoked is the more restrained style of the two.
How limited is Gently Smoked Double Cask?
Only 2,100 bottles of this Small Batch release were produced.
It's therefore a limited expression rather than a permanently available core-range whisky.
Where is The English Gently Smoked Double Cask made?
It's produced by The English Whisky Company at St George's Distillery in Norfolk.
The distillery produces its English single malt here in Norfolk, making this another genuinely Norfolk-produced whisky in our collection.
Should you add water to Gently Smoked Double Cask?
It's worth trying it both ways.
Start by tasting the whisky neat. Then add a small amount of water.
The tasting notes for this release indicate that adding water encourages stewed orchard-fruit characteristics to develop on the palate, allowing you to discover another side to the whisky.
Why we like it
Not everybody who likes whisky wants to feel as though they're standing immediately downwind of a bonfire.
And that's where this bottle becomes interesting.
The smoke is certainly there, but it shares the glass with vanilla, marshmallow, figs, ginger, nutmeg and fruit, rather than demanding all the attention.
Bringing together Bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks also gives you two very different maturation influences to explore.
For someone curious about smoky whisky but wary of going straight to something heavily smoked, this feels like a particularly good place to start.
Producer: The English Whisky Company
Distillery: St George's Distillery
Origin: Norfolk, England
Style: Gently Smoked English Single Malt Whisky
Casks: American Bourbon barrels & Oloroso sherry casks
Character: Sweet, fruity, gently spiced and softly smoky
Release size: 2,100 bottles
Availability: Limited Small Batch release