Nork Original x Hot Chili Cask

Volume: 0.5 litres | Alcohol content: 47.11% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For this single-cask release, NORK Original receives its finish in a cask with an unusual history. It first held bourbon for 15 years, then Hot Chili Sauce. NORK discovered the cask at a cask dealer in France and used it to finish its Doppelkorn, which had previously spent one year in a first-fill bourbon cask.

Hot Chili is the second release in the NORK Single Cask range, following the maple syrup cask bottling of 2022. The Korn was distilled in December 2021 and bottled from cask 0086 in August 2023. The release comprises 476 bottles, each containing 0.5 litres at 47.11% alcohol. The spirit is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

The combination of casks brings together bourbon sweetness and the spice of chilli sauce. On the first sip, sweetness takes the lead before a pleasant heat emerges. With further sips, the spicy sauce flavours become more pronounced, and the heat also increases.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals distinct chilli notes, accompanied by green chillies and nutty impressions. Subtle oat flake notes round out the aroma.
• Palate: Bourbon sweetness initially dominates the palate before a pleasant heat emerges. Fresh sourdough bread and piquant Tabasco sauce shape the flavour. With further sips, the spicy sauce flavours and heat become more pronounced.
• Finish: The long finish leaves a gentle tingling sensation on the tongue.

Distillery/Bottler:

The siblings Ann-Katrin and Johann Dallmeyer are behind NORK. Since 2016, they have been developing Korn and liqueurs with the aim of bringing renewed attention to this traditional grain spirit. The first NORK bottlings were created in collaboration with Hanschen Harm in Scheeßel, where they were produced, bottled and labelled during the early years. Since mid-2019, NORK has worked with Feinkornbrennerei Sasse to produce its Korn. NORK Original, the base spirit used here, is made from German wheat and water from the Sasse distillery's own well.

Since 2021, NORK has been building a stock of casks for matured Korn releases. The brand follows two distinct approaches: collaborations focus on special maturation locations and partners, while the Single Cask range centres on selecting unusual casks. The Hot Chili finish belongs to the latter range.

Facts: