Earlier this year the change in the SWA rules around cask maturation opened the floodgates to a wider array of experimental wood types which could be utilised in the production of Scotch whisky. The move came as little surprise (though why cider casks are still effectively outlawed is beyond me), given the noises Diageo had been making around the need for wider cask experimentation for some time prior to the rule change. An announcement a few years back of a special edition of Don Julio reposado tequila finished in Scotch whisky barrels (from the Buchanan’s blend) was swiftly followed by a leaked report detailing the company’s intention to create a variety of new product types, whilst at the same time seeking to rewrite the regulations around what constitutes Scotch whisky.