Scapegrace Fortuna Limited Release VI

Fortuna VI sits deep into the Limited Release series and keeps the same structural backbone that defines most of the range: virgin French oak, bottled at 46% ABV, with a fixed outturn of 10,057 bottles. It’s made in Central Otago, where dry conditions and strong seasonal temperature swings increase cask activity, meaning oak extraction and oxidation driven development tend to show early and clearly.

Virgin French oak pushes flavour quickly because the wood is fresh and rich in extractables. You get a faster build of toasted wood aromatics and a more obvious mid palate structure than refill oak maturation, with the key trade off being higher tannin presence. French oak tannins, largely ellagitannins, bring that drying grip and defined finish, while lignin breakdown products from toasting supply vanilla and spice notes that read more like clove and allspice than simple sweetness.

The profile is therefore about controlled richness rather than softness. Expect oak sweetness up front, then a tightening through the mid palate as spice and tannin arrive, finishing structured, drying and persistent rather than rounded and dessert like. Bottled at 46% ABV, it keeps enough texture and aromatic lift to hold its balance all the way through.