A ground-breaking range of world’s first educational whiskies launched earlier this year, known as Reference Series got new additions. And Maverick Drinks is proud to announce their release. The initial range of Reference Series comprises three blended whiskies which progress from I to III with increasing levels of old, rare and more characterful spirit in the mix. These blended malt Scotch whiskies not only enable drinkers to learn the ins and outs of whisky production techniques, but also taste superb in their own right, making the learning process thoroughly enjoyable.
There are now three extensions to the Reference Series: Extension .1, which takes a portion of the blend and finishes it in a fresh 50 litre cask previously used to hold Pedro Ximénez Sherry; Extension .2, which includes 10% heavily peated Islay Single Malt in the blend; and Extension .3, which includes the colouring agent, E150a, aka Spirit Caramel.
You can now sample these extensions against the original range. For example, you can enjoy Reference Series I.1 – the most youthful whisky in the initial range, with a portion of the blend matured in top-quality Pedro Ximénez casks against Reference Series I. Or you could compare it with II.1 or III.1 – whiskies with increasingly high proportions of old, rare Scotch in the mix, with the same percentage of the blend finished in dessert Sherry casks.
This gives whisky lovers the chance to compare the effects of using dessert Sherry maturation. The extensions .2 and .3 will also be available across the initial range, allowing connoisseurs to compare the effects of both the ageing process, as well as either spirit caramel or the addition of peat – a luxury hitherto unavailable for those outside of the whisky industry.
