Ballantine's Hard Fired

Ballantine's Hard Fired is an interesting expression from the immensely popular brand, as it was finished in the same casks it was initially matured in! "How does that work?!" we here you exclaim at your computer screen/smartphone/potential-future-internet-accessing-device. Well, it's initially aged in second-fill American oak barrels, then taken out of said barrels for no longer than a day (so the oak doesn't dry out). In that time, the barrels are hard-fired, giving them a heavy char. Once that's completed, the whisky is placed back in the barrel for a few more month before bottling. ~ Master of Malt