The last whiskey from Copperworks Distilling Co.’s 200-year-old sherry color cask has been divided among three casks. Only one will be bottled, and Copperworks is letting whiskey fans make the call.

Through the “Color Cask Trials,” participants receive three 100ml samples to taste side by side, then vote on which becomes the final Copperworks Color Cask American Single Malt Whiskey.

Every sign-up includes a 700ml bottle of the winner, shipped in time for Christmas. Voting closes December 5.

TO SIGN UP | https://tinyurl.com/colorcasktrials
COST | $305 to $356.74

THE COLOR CASK

Sherry houses once kept a very dark sherry on hand to deepen oloroso batches that came out too pale. The casks that held it, known as color casks, spent generations soaking up that concentrated sherry. As the practice fades, a few have left the bodegas. Copperworks brought one home from Bodegas Argüeso in Cádiz, Spain.

Rather than simply finishing a whiskey in the cask, Copperworks matured one entirely in it for almost five years. Released two years ago, the resulting Color Cask American Single Malt Whiskey was rich, sweet, and unlike anything else in the lineup. It split the whiskey community: a favorite for some, a curiosity for others, and a conversation piece for the bars that landed a bottle.

28 DAYS LATER 

Next, Copperworks put it to work as a finishing cask, refilling it with nearly six-year-old whiskey distilled from its Original Five Malt Mash Bill.

Within 28 days, the cask had made its mark again. Because a color cask holds far more than a standard 53-gallon barrel, there was plenty of whiskey to work with. With the cask’s next assignment already set (a gin, and a story for another day), this would be the last Color Cask whiskey.

THREE CASKS, ONE WINNER

Copperworks divided the whiskey among three different casks for a final maturation that is still under way. The Trials let participants taste all three as they stand today and decide which one makes it into the bottle.

HOW THE TRIALS WORK

Each sign-up includes:

Three 100ml Color Cask Trials samples (shipping soon)

One 700ml bottle of the winning Color Cask release (shipping for Christmas delivery)

An optional in-person or virtual tasting

Attending a tasting isn’t required to vote; a self-guided tasting at home counts just as much. When shipping is selected, the price covers delivery of both the samples and the final bottle.

Supply is tighter than a typical single-cask release, so the whiskey may sell out before it ever reaches shelves.

LIVE TASTING | Seattle | Tuesday, November 10 | 6 pm  *NOTE: This option needs to be selected at time of purchase.*
Participants taste the three samples alongside fellow voters over light snacks, while Copperworks President and Co-Founder Jason Parker tells the story of the color cask: what it is, how Copperworks got it, and what’s come out of it.‍

WHERE | Copperworks Seattle Distillery & Tasting Room, 1250 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101

VIRTUAL TASTING | Tuesday, November 17 at 5 PM
Free and open to the public. Voters taste together online, hear the story from Jason Parker, and weigh in on which cask might win.

Read more: Copperworks Releases Single Malt for Craft Malt Month

About Copperworks Distilling Company

Opened in 2013, Copperworks Distilling Company is an award-winning craft distillery, tasting room, and gift shop located in the high-traffic waterfront tourist district of downtown Seattle. The distillery produces small-batch American Single Malt Whiskey, a series of gins, and vodka, all from malted barley. Copperworks was founded by co-owners/distillers Jason Parker and Micah Nutt — both craft brewers with more than 30 years of experience in the alcohol industry. To learn more about Copperworks, visit https://copperworksdistilling.com.