Quercus IV Mongolica

Quercus is a series where we explore the flavours that different oak species and regions give to the whisky. The first edition, Quercus I, Robur took a closer look at the European forest Oak, Quercus robur. The second in the series is the American white wine Quercus alba. The third edition was given the decisive character of the European mountain oak Quercus petraea. The fourth and last of the series, Quercus IV, has matured in the Asian oak Quercus mongolica.

Quercus mongolica has an eastern distribution and thrives in harsh, unstable climates and can withstand severe cold. In Japan, its subspecies called Mizunara grows. It has gained cult status in the whiskey industry. The Mizunara oak tree has been attributed to a significant role for Japanese whisky’s particularity, and maturation in Mizunara has received a great deal of attention in recent years. It has also been found that Mizunara is difficult to mature because it is porous and gives varied results. Therefore, this kind of maturation is now almost a curiosity in Japanese warehouses, with the exception of smaller craft distilleries.

Quercus mongolica our fourth edition in the series comes from a harsh and sometimes cold climate in northeastern China at the border with Russia. Here, the oak has grown more slowly and  densely than the Japanese Mizunara, which is why we had very few problems with leakage and evaporation. Our barrels of Quercus mongolica have developed a spicy and elegant whisky with a taste that is different from anything else we have bottled on the High Coast.