What we have here is a passion project, many years in the making. 8 Wired wanted to put their own beer-inspired mark on their whisky. So instead of making a wash from pale distillers malt, they started with what can best be described as a porter. Dark, chocolatey and malty, fermented with a Belgian saison yeast. After distilling this twice, they aged it in three different barrels: First it spent a year in barrels that held their famed Imperial Stout, Bumaye. Then it went into brand new, heavily charred American Oak barrels for two years. Finally it spent three more years in Bourbon barrels that had also held another Imperial Stout. The finished result is a whisky that is rich and complex. Full of sweet, chocolatey notes from the barley and the stout barrels, layered with complex alcohols, esters and phenols from the fermentation and distilling. This is all rounded off by vanilla, coconut and caramel flavours from the oak.