Country: Ireland
Distillery: Glendalough
Type: Pot Still
Age: 4
Cask: Ex-Bourbon, Irish Oak
ABV: 43%
Proof: 86
Price: $55
Batch: 1
Tree: 7
Nose: Raw grain, rotten apples, vanilla custard, new make spirit. Cloves, oak spices, young melon, sage.
Palate: Fruit orchard, ginger, oily. An herbaceous character with dried ginger. Mid-palate is spicy with cloves and heather.
Finish: Long but young. Carries vanilla, oak spices till the end with tannins. Amaro like bitter at the very end.
2020 was a year with many negative and dramatic aspects. However, it made me meet a lot of good Irish whiskies. My meeting with Glendalough Pot Still Irish Whiskey is also an example of that. I already had good feelings about Glendalough 13 Single Malt Mizunara Finish. I was really excited to try this. I also reviewed Glendalough Pot Still Irish Whiskey Batch 1 Tree 8A.
What Is Different About It?
Glendalough is one of the rising stars from Ireland. The distillery founded close to Wicklow is a passion project. Every time I talk to someone working at Glendalough, I can see their love and passion for the brand.
Let's remember what a single pot still whiskey is. Single pot still whiskey is made with both malted and unmalted barley, unlike single malt which only uses malted barley. Glendalough uses a 1:2 ratio for their production. (1 malted barley: 2 unmalted barley)
This particular whiskey is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for three years and then further aged for another year in Irish oak barrels that are made from oak trees sourced from Wicklow Mountains! This Irish oak concept is the cornerstone aspect of this whiskey. We have seen this before with Midleton Dair Ghaelach. However, this time, we have a really young example, and I am excited to see the growth of this project. For every tree that is used for this project, Glendalough plants 7 trees to keep the sustainable nature of Wicklow.
Glendalough Pot Still Irish Whiskey Batch 1 Tree 7
How Does It Taste?
The nose is very very very young, that is for sure and they are not hiding it. At the end of the day, this is a 4-year-old whiskey. This age is particularly young for the Irish whiskey climate. Raw grain and new make spirit character is felt for a long time until it loses the rough feeling. Then rotten apples, vanilla custard and spicy qualities start to take part.
The palate surprisingly feels way older than the nose. The oily texture is supported with orchard fruits and dried ginger. Mid-palate is very spicy and heather is introduced at the end. The finish has youth qualities again with a long duration. Vanilla and oak spices continue until the end. There is a slight bitterness like amaro.
Verdict
I will be discussing this whiskey from two different perspectives:
- As a sipping whiskey: It is young and there is still time to pour a glass of this bottle next to a book.
- Nerding about it: Totally! This whiskey is all about understanding how Irish oak is behaving and will behave on Glendalough whiskey.
The whiskey is promising and I respect all the hard work and thought given into this project from the comfort of my home. I strongly believe that a few more years will do this whiskey wonders!
