Cask strength
German: Fassstärke Also known as: Cask Strength, Fassstark
A spirit bottled straight from the cask without dilution with water. Alcohol content is therefore often above 50 percent ABV.
Cask strength means a spirit is not reduced to drinking strength with water after maturation. It is bottled at the alcohol content it has after storage in the cask. This depends on storage time, climate and cask type.
Values between about 50 and 65 percent ABV are usual, and the exact figure varies from cask to cask. Cask-strength bottlings are regarded as more intense and unadulterated, and many deliberately drink them with a splash of water to open up aromas. They are often also labelled single cask or cask strength batch.