I Tried an Extremely Rare Whisky That Won a Surprising World Record. Here's How It Tastes

Does anyone still pay attention to the Guinness Book of World Records? I guess it’s useful for finding out who currently has the longest fingernails, who was able to crush the most eggs on their head, or perhaps even who's the loudest belcher to walk the Earth. 

When it comes to whisky, however, the book historically hasn’t been as useful—with a few exceptions. In 2021, indie bottler Duncan Taylor partnered with some other groups to create the world’s largest bottle of Scotch, which stood at nearly two meters tall. The cork was bigger than a human head. 

More recently came the news that a whisky has been recognized as having “most flavor variety,” an honor that went to a single malt called Ascension from Johnson Reserve.

Of course, variety of flavor is an entirely subjective feature to attribute to any whisky. What that really refers to here is the amount of casks that were used to finish the liquid. Johnson Reserve used a total of 33 different barrel types, a staggering amount considering most whiskies are finished in one or two. 

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According to Cameron Jessiman, operations manager for Johnson Reserve, it took about 12 years to come up with the right cask formula for this particular whisky. It's a single cask expression of single malt, meaning it was aged sequentially in each of the barrels. 

“We sample hundreds of barrels to ensure we select only those with the exact profile needed," said Jessiman in a statement. "This process required years of trial and refinement to understand the nuances of cask sequencing. Some casks have to precede others to create balance, allowing each layer of flavor to emerge distinctly without dominating the profile.”

The barrels came from many different countries, and were all brought to Scotland to use for the finishing process. Highlights include Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, marsala wine, Wild Turkey bourbon, French oak, rum, chardonnay, apple brandy, armagnac, mezcal, and sherry casks. 

That sounds like a pretty complicated recipe. But the real test is, of course, how the whisky actually tastes. The good news is that it's a delicious single malt, with notes of cinnamon, ripe berries, burnt orange, vanilla, oak, raisin, and ripe apple on the palate.

Has the whisky really earned the title of “most flavor variety?" It's a nice bit of marketing but impossible to truly say. Whatever the case, Ascension is a fantastic and complex single malt that's extremely limited in availability, with only 40 bottles being released. The price is only available upon inquiry, but no doubt it’s going to be quite high.

Related: How to Drink Scotch Whisky: Experts Share Their Best Tips