Famous Grouse Cask Series Ruby Cask Port Cask Finish Blended Scotch Whisky 40%

Port casks leave a clear mark. They tint the whisky reddish, pull it towards berries and plums, and can easily end up drowning everything else. Ruby Cask stays on the right side of that line.

The expert description

Famous Grouse Cask Series Ruby Cask is a Blended Scotch Whisky finished in ruby port casks and bottled at 40%.

Cask Series is the name for the releases where the classic Grouse blend gets an extra period in a cask with a past. Here it is ruby port, the fresh and fruity style rather than the nutty tawny, and the difference registers immediately. The base whisky is still soft and rounded, but the port wood lays a layer of red fruit and baking spice over the top.

The finishing period is short enough that the blend underneath still comes through. This is not a port whisky but a Famous Grouse with the port cask as an added voice.

Tasting notes

Nose

Baking spice first, soft vanilla, cinnamon and clove, and beneath it red berries, a touch of oak and a light sweetness.

Palate

Ripe stone fruit and red berries, plums and caramel, with light tannins from the port wood keeping the sweetness in check.

Finish

Medium to long, soft and sweet with fruit that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Famous Grouse Cask Series Ruby Cask
Distillery: The Famous Grouse
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in ruby port casks
Edition: Cask Series
EAN no.: 5010314306540

Flavour profile

Fruity · Sweet · Soft · Spiced · Berry

Did you know?

Ruby and tawny port come from the same grapes but are handled entirely differently. Ruby is aged briefly in large vessels and keeps its fresh, deep red fruit, while tawny spends years in small casks and turns nutty and brown. That is why a ruby cask pulls whisky towards berries rather than towards walnut.

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Frequently asked questions about Famous Grouse Ruby Cask

What does Ruby Cask mean?

That the whisky has had an additional maturation period in casks that previously held ruby port. Ruby is the fresh and fruity style of port, and it is what pulls the whisky towards red berries and plums.

How does it compare with standard Famous Grouse?

The base is the same, soft and fruity, but Ruby Cask carries more red fruit, more baking spice and a clearer sweetness. The light tannins from the port wood also give it a little more structure.

What is a finish?

A shorter period in a second cask after the main maturation. The whisky is moved into a cask with a past, here port, and draws flavour from it without losing its original character.

Does it suit someone who finds ordinary whisky too dry?

Yes. The port wood lays sweetness and fruit over the top, and at 40% the alcohol is mild. That makes it a friendly way in for anyone who normally reaches for something sweeter than whisky.

Can it be used in cocktails?

It works well in drinks where the fruit is allowed to show, such as a Rob Roy or a whisky sour with slightly less sugar than usual. In a soda highball the berry notes thin out quickly.

What is Cask Series?

It is the group of Famous Grouse releases where the blend takes an extra turn in a specific cask type. Ruby Cask is the port version in that series.

Which glass suits it best?

A tulip-shaped glass gathers the berry and spice notes, which otherwise escape easily at 40%. See our range of whisky glasses.