Fine Single Malts Go Digital

By Eric Musgrave

Enjoy exceptional single cask malt whiskies while learning all about them via your smartphone.

That meeting of heritage and digital technology is being offered by One Cask At A Time, an independent British whisky bottler which had made its debut with six fine malts.

By tapping the icon on the bottle neck with a smartphone, drinkers can verify each individually numbered bottle as well as opening a digital “Bottle Passport” feature, which charts the origins of the whisky from the day the cask was filled to the day it was bottled. Each story is delivered through expert tasting notes, cask history and bottling details.

Thus contactless technology brings the whisky fan in closer contact to the precious spirit.

One Cask At A Time’s introductory three ranges – Chronograph, Pendulum and Grandfather – celebrate time and its role in transforming whisky, while offering three levels of entry.

Chronograph embraces two whiskies. Ben Nevis 2012 (56.1%, £89, 307 bottles) is an 11-year-old malt, while Glentauchers 2009 (56.9%, £115, 271 bottles) has aged over 15 years.

Pendulum comprises a 26-year-old variety, Auchentoshan 1998 (59.5%, £375, 142 bottles).

For the seasoned connoisseur, the trio for Grandfather are the 30-year-old Ledaig 1993 (42.3%, £599, 74 bottles), the 33-year-old Aultmore 1990 (43.8%, £675, 146 bottles), and the 27-year-old Highland Park 1996 (43.4%, £699, 187 bottles).

The Highland Park and Aultmore are both International Wine & Spirit Competition Silver Medallists for whisky. The Grandfather collection contactless technology also features video tasting notes.

“Only casks of exceptional quality have been chosen for bottling under the One Cask at a Time label,” explains Russell Bradley, head of brand development. “A testament to the art of whisky making and a tribute to the role time has to play in transforming a whisky, each cask has been hand selected for their unique qualities - bottling a moment in time to share with the world”.

One Cask at a Time’s Chronograph, Pendulum and Grandfather series are now online.