Given that it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and I’m a huge fan of West Cork, when I saw this reddish bottle at just $33, I simply couldn’t help myself.

This is one of two bottles in the Glengarriff Series (don’t worry I got the other one as well, but we’ll save that for another day). Its triple distilled Irish whiskey matured in Sherry casks and finished in bog oak charred casks for an additional 4-6 months. The bog oak is harvested from the local bog lands of Glengarriff.

Nose: oak, pepper, sherry, and smoke
Palate: sherry, spices, fruit, and touch of smoke
Finish: smooth, oak, light burn
ABV: 43%
Cost: $33 (what we paid)

One of my favorite things about this brand isn’t only their juice but their affordability. It’s an Irish whiskey brand that is completely approachable, the juice is well made and personally it’s quite good. This expression was no exception.

To me, this whiskey is heavily spiced, which doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I get smoke on the nose and taste. But please fear not, by smoke I do simply just mean smoke, not to be confused with peat. There is absolutely no peat taste.

I love the balance of the sherry, smoke, and spice notes. It’s simply a very warming dram that doesn’t burn your throat but just gives you a subtle warm feeling as it goes down.

This is a quite unique tasting profile for an Irish Whiskey. I found that it kept drawing me in. These types of whiskies are the ones that I go for, so it makes sense that I am thoroughly enjoying it. If you love these types of notes then you’ll love it and at this price, crazy not to try. For those people who don’t enjoy spiced or smoke, stay away as it’s not something you’ll enjoy.

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.