New Spanish Oak

Our new Spanish Oak casks originate in the mountainous forests of Northern Spain (Cantabria). The cooperage describes them as very difficult to find and “very scary” to use – “bad enough for wine but extremely difficult for spirit”.

Unlike American white oak, which is relatively low in tannins and has a structure called tyloses in it’s xylem tissue that swells to help seal the cask, this Spanish oak is high in tannins, knotty and porous, with no tyloses. It is incredibly challenging to make staves from, and the final casks are prone to leakage and excess evaporation. While difficult to source and dangerous to use, the tannins and porosity deliver intense flavors and allow heightened interaction between spirit and oak – and ultimately greater complexity. When done right, these casks deliver a unique and unparalleled flavor. As far as we know, no other American whiskey has taken this risk.

A one hour proprietary toast creates a small char layer that removes some tannins, but preserves the good ones.

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South American Teakwood

South American Teakwood: The most coveted cask finish from our bespoke barrel program that you’ve never heard of. 

This uncommon tropical plant harkens from Northeast Brazil where its used in folk medicine, and known as “cumaru”. Coumarin, the compound which grants this potential healing prowess, is also responsible for the ocean of cinnamon and vanillin aromatics found in this Boss of Hogs. 

Our sustainably harvested South American Teak doesn’t stop at cinnamon; never before has such a rich range of beautiful baking spices grace the palate of the modern whiskey drinker. Oodles of nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, mocha, and caramel positively ooze from the glass. This is thanks to a careful and lengthy medium level toast profile, which grants these incredibly intense aromatics while softening the overall intensity of greener wood notes in the cask.

The Boss Hog VII whiskey spends 3 weeks resting in Spanish Oak before stretching its legs in South American Teakwood for just three days.

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New American Oak

Cask finishing is what makes The Boss Hog truly shine. But let’s not forget about our unsung hero, the barrel that starts it all, a true classic – American White Oak. By law, Straight Rye Whiskey must be aged in new, charred oak containers for at least two years. Add a few more years, and lovely caramel, vanilla, and oak spices will start to shape your whiskey into something truly unique and beautiful. For the few bold enough to wait just a bit longer – say, 17 years or so – the reward is unparalleled.

A cool, wet climate with gentle aging seasons allow these classic Char #3 casks to develop rich characters of mocha, creme brulee, decadent baking spice, molasses, and more. Not every whiskey cask can stand up to 17 years of aging; in fact, it’s rare to find casks that haven’t pulled too much character from the wood at such an age. But when you do find these unicorns, these diamonds in the rough, you come to realize that there’s absolutely nothing quite like it.

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The Journey​

It was an eerily calm autumn morning in Andalucia. Barely a wisp of cloud clung to the crisp Spanish air. The year was 1519 and Ferdinand Magellan stood upon the precipice of history. The Portuguese explorer peered out over the bow of the Victoria to spy four additional ships–two along each flank. Under all that rigging, a crew of 270 daring souls crowded the five decks. Stashed in the hulls at their feet barely enough rations to last them several months at sea. Amongst all the sundries, no doubt, the crudest of cordials and Iberian wine, fortified–like the surly sailors themselves– for the lengthy voyage into the unknown.

The scholars of the day said it couldn’t be done. The nobility called him reckless. Certainly a western route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia was ill-conceived at best and suicidal at worst. It was in no way bombastic to consider it the most daring sea voyage ever undertaken.

Approaching the Atlantic from Sanlucar de Barrameda, the expedition tacked a southerly course along the western edge of Africa. The last lands they kissed in the Old World were the volcanic shores of the Canaries on September 26th, 1519. It would be over two months before the men would set foot on solid ground again. And what a dramatic reunion it proved to be.

Just before dawn on December 13th, the serrated skirt of the South American continent appeared over the ship’s starboard horizon. Soon the crew would be dropping anchor in Guanabara Bay, one of the world’s most dramatic natural harbors beside what is today known as Rio de Janeiro. Monolithic towers of metamorphized granite loomed overhead. Dense, tropical rainforest thicketed the valleys formed between them. 

A lush New World, to be sure. But was it welcoming? Venturing inland the interlopers would encounter exotic terrain ripe with flora and fauna unrecognizable to their European eyes. Through chockablock vines they cut their way deeper and higher into the jungle, eventually uncovering a new type of timber: Cumaru. Today it is more commonly known as Brazilian Teak. A golden hardwood of uncompromising durability, Magellan and crew likely contemplated the lumber’s seaworthy merits. They could have never imagined the outsized role it would eventually play in crafting a whiskey of unrivaled complexity. It only took 500 years to get there. 

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