Native to the dense jungles of South America, the tall, slender amburana tree will be discovered rising in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. Although it’s typically known as “Brazilian oak,” amburana truly belongs to the legume household, making it a relative of chickpeas and mesquite fairly than oak.
These timber, which may attain heights of 100 toes, have historically been tapped as a supply of timber. Amburana wooden is pretty gentle—almost half the load of oak—and has a good interlocking grain that gives good liquid retention. Brazilian distillers have lengthy used amburana casks to age cachaça, and American brewers have additionally experimented with them. Lately whiskey makers have began utilizing the casks as ending vessels.
In 2019, Vermont’s WhistlePig grew to become the primary distillery to launch an amburana cask-finished whiskey. Chief blender Meghan Eire initially heard concerning the wooden by way of its lengthy and storied historical past for getting old cachaça, and bought a cask in late 2018. The ensuing whiskey was the 12 12 months outdated Outdated World Amburana Cask, an aged rye that was completed for simply 1 week and bottled in very restricted portions as a part of the experimental Single Finishes program. That cask was later reused to complete Boss Hog VII: Magellan’s Atlantic, which spent 3 days in amburana.
Loads of different whiskey makers, like Barrell Craft Spirits (BCS), Penelope, 4 Gate, and Starlight, have since adopted swimsuit, entranced by the very distinctive flavors from this wooden. It imparts very sturdy notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, chestnut, cloves, and vanilla to the whiskey—Eire calls the flavour profile “Christmas in a drink.”
Amburana casks are pretty just like oak barrels by way of porosity, however require extra monitoring of the ending course of, as a result of they contribute flavors in a short time. These flavors can begin impacting the whiskey inside days, and might rapidly overpower it if left unchecked.
“The general objective is to be sure that the entire underlying whiskey will get a seat on the desk,” says BCS chief of distillery operations Tripp Stimson. So the ending size should be saved quick, and vigilance is unquestionably required, Stimson provides. BCS’s Cask End Sequence: Amburana was completed for 30–60 days. After the primary week, Stimson pulled samples on an almost day by day foundation to make sure that the cask affect wasn’t turning into too overbearing.
As with different unique wooden casks, availability is a matter. In 1998, a number of amburana species have been declared threatened by the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature after native forests have been cleared for cattle grazing. After that, Brazil positioned restrictions on how amburana may very well be harvested.
Using amburana barrels comes at a worth: A 53-gallon cask can price upward of $1,200—almost 5 instances greater than a brand new American white oak barrel. Although tough to tame, amburana lends itself properly to completely different strategies of ending. Some whiskey makers, like Arduous Reality and RD1, use amburana inserts or staves fairly than full barrels to complete their whiskeys. Others, like Penelope, double end utilizing amburana together with different barrels— its in style Cooper Sequence Rio bourbon is completed utilizing each amburana casks and barrels that beforehand contained honey. No matter the way it’s used, amburana contributes very distinct and highly effective flavors which are certain to please many whiskey drinkers.
“You’ll be able to pull the bung out of the barrel, and throughout the room anyone’s going to know you’re coping with an amburana barrel,” says Stimson. “The focus with which you discover [the flavors] in amburana wooden is not like the rest.”
5 Amburana Completed Bourbons to Attempt
94 factors – Barrell Cask End Sequence 5 12 months outdated, 58.21%, $90
Completed in amburana for 30–60 days Cinnamon, dark-roast espresso, and cocoa powder
92 factors – Doc Swinson’s Exploratory Cask Bossa Nova, 56.4%, $80
Completed in amburana for 3–10 days Buttered cinnamon-raisin bagel, cinnamon French toast, and pains aux raisins
92 factors – 4 Gate 7 12 months outdated Majestic Wooden Sequence Amburana Brazilian Oak, 57.55%, $249
Completed in amburana for 35 days Baking spices, snickerdoodle cookies, and white pepper
92 factors – Uncommon Character Single Barrel Sequence Amburana Cask Completed (Barrel No. AMB-B-09), 57.36%, $100
Completed in amburana for 8 months Cinnamon syrup spice, Mexican sizzling chocolate, and orange slices
90 factors – Starlight Distillery 5 12 months outdated Carl T. Huber’s Cigar Batch (2024 Launch), 55.85%, $80
Completed in amburana for 3 months Vanilla, cinnamon rolls, gingersnaps, and vintage store oak
