Eau de Vie Glasses IV – Zalto Cask

I am always intrigued by new glassware, especially when it comes from my favourite producer, Zalto. The idea for the glass came about by chance when Zalto discovered that barrel-aged spirits tasted even better from a prototype. After many experiments, the finished glass is now available to buy directly from Zalto.

I was particularly interested to see how barrel-aged eau de vie would behave in the 280 ml Cask glass. The first spirit I tasted was the Spiritus Rex Pinot Meunier Brandy. This multi-vintage brandy was aged in Limousin oak casks for more than three years and is bottled at 42% ABV.

Less fruit, more cask character

The glass certainly brings out the full aroma of the eau de vie. The fruitiness is perhaps a little muted, but the barrel notes, especially the roasted flavours reminiscent of hazelnut and dark chocolate, become more noticeable. When you take a sip, the taste is mellow, combining red fruits and oak spices. Towards the end, hints of menthol and tannins emerge.

And now whisky

Apart from that, I also tried a single malt whisky from the Cask glass. I used the Tomatin 2008, aged for 11 years, to see what effect the glass would have on a traditional whisky. Once again, the fruitiness of the aroma was slightly reduced, with only hints of the ageing in sweet wine casks coming through. However, I discovered a certain nuttiness with dark chocolate flavours in the mix once again.

In conclusion, the Zalto Cask is a relatively neutral-tasting glass with enough capacity for complex spirits. However, it highlights the barrel-aged notes slightly more than the Zalto Digestif glass, for example. Additionally, menthol notes from high alcohol content are slightly mellowed, which can be beneficial when tasting overproof eau de vie or cask-strength whisky. Zalto has certainly achieved its goal with this glass. Ultimately, I would now choose the Cask glass over the Zalto Sweet Wine, which was previously recommended for barrel-aged spirits.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. I received the glass for free from Zalto.