An emptied whisky barrel is never quite empty. There's always something left in the wood - rye, fire, a little caramel from the last round - and that's the residue Lervig chases when they fill their darkest beer into used barrels and let time do the rest.
Expert description of Lervig Off The Rack Finnish Rye Whisky By Rackhouse
Off The Rack is Lervig's barrel-ageing series under the Rackhouse programme. The Stavanger brewery takes their most powerful beer and puts it into freshly emptied spirit barrels, and this release is the second chapter in the line, aged on Finnish rye whisky barrels. The base is an Imperial Stout brewed on water, barley, oats, hops and yeast, and the beer has spent 20 months on the barrels - long enough for both the rye's spiced character and the whisky's spirit notes to settle into the beer.
It's a single batch. Once it's sold, it won't come again. Lervig has marked it vegan, so no animal-derived fining agents are involved.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
Dark cocoa and roasted malt first, then a mild tobacco note, and behind it all lies the rye whisky - warm, spiced, a hint of oak.
Taste
Heavy and full. Cocoa and dark chocolate carry it all, while the rye's spiced character meets a distinct spirit warmth from the barrels. It's balanced enough that the malt can still shine through.
Finish
Long and dry, with tobacco and a final hint of whisky oak that lingers long after the last sip.
Specifications
Name: Lervig Off The Rack Finnish Rye Whisky 2024 By Rackhouse
Brewery: Lervig
Country/Region: Stavanger, Norway
Beer style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 14.7%
Size: 37.5 CL
Malt: Barley, oats
Ingredients: Water, barley, oats, hops, yeast
Allergens: Barley, oats, gluten
Best before: 10/02/2031
Serving suggestion: 12-14°C in a snifter or tulip glass
Flavour Profile
Malty · Roasted · Spiced · Creamy
Did You Know?
The Off The Rack series is Lervig's way of squeezing the last out of their own used spirit barrels. Instead of leaving the barrels empty after a Rackhouse ageing, they fill them again with a new round of Imperial Stout, so the wood's last flavour isn't wasted.
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