Review #912 - Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Single Cask Marquette Wine Cask Finish - Scotch 4 Dummies Pick
Unlike the Scotch 4 Dummies Cedar Ridge pick that we looked at in our last review, this single cask version of The QuintEssential single malt was made with unpeated malted barley. It was also finished in a different sort of cask, another unique style: a Marquette wine cask.
Marquette is a hybrid variety of wine grape which was developed by the University of Minnesota in the mid-2000s. It was engineered as a variety of grape which could withstand cold and disease, perfect for more northern growing climates with average temperatures that are colder than other wine grape growing regions. Cedar Ridge in Iowa is one of the wineries that produces this style, which is supposed to be rich in dark fruit flavors like cherry and blackberry.
This single cask doesn't have an age statement, but based on the very dark color of the single malt, we assume there were either several years in the Marquette wine cask, or it was a very wet cask. The bottling strength here is 61.9% ABV, and this arrived in 2026.
Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Single Cask Marquette Wine Cask Finish - Scotch 4 Dummies Pick
USA - Single Malt
Price: USD 70 (2026)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 61.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in a Marquette wine cask
Details: Cask no. 17W-41, bottled 2026
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 3 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Punchy, a little feinty or spirity, but soon dark fruits grow in intensity: plums, prune, then cranberry, cherry and medjool dates. More sweetness comes from caramel and molasses, and we get acidic figs.
Palate: The mouthfeel is thick, and again this is punchy and fiery. The texture is great, quite syrupy and viscous, and flavors of raisin, sultana, dark caramel, and chocolate malt come first. Blackberries, dates, and some licorice spice build, and we get a hint of cherry too; it's super fruity with a dark complexion.
Finish: A wise assortment of fruits - stewed apples or even apple pie, plums, black cherry, medjool date, and blackberries. Brown sugar, caramel, and pie crust bring more sweetness, and then the fruit brings an acidic side in addition to the sweetness. The finish is medium-long.
Final Note: Phew, this is pretty fiery with that strength - we don't know how many years this single malt was aged, but it still has some of that youthful character, although it's balanced by tons of flavor potential. The Marquette wine casks are contributing a lot of intense dark fruit notes, mostly sweet, but also a bit acidic at times. There are nice sweet baking notes as well - quite sugary at times, with dense caramel notes. It's a good single malt, but also one that might have benefited from a few more years in the cask to round out the youth.
Value is good, well above average. Cedar Ridge pricing is excellent, and this single barrel packs a ton of flavor for the price of $70.
Our Rating: 7.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.79
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
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