Twelve barrels went into Wolves The Malted Barley Series Black Leather, a California single malt whiskey aged seven years and only eleven made the final blend. The spirit came off an antique alembic brandy still in 2015, distilled from two-row pale malted barley fermented with California ale yeast, then aged in oak treatments ranging from light toast to char 3 with alternating Hungarian and American oak heads. The brand’s published profile leans rich: maple syrup, orange, and vanilla up front; dark chocolate, currant, and stone fruit beneath; oats and oak on the way out. Lot One of the series sold out at the source. Pour it neat in a brandy snifter the still it came off suggests exactly that.