Tasting Notes For Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey
Nose: Rich with dark fruit, cherry, raisin, fig and Christmas pudding. Floral notes with lemongrass, citrus and a touch of nutmeg.
Taste: Sweet and smooth, with butterscotch, honey and peppercorn, dried fruit, maraschino cherries and brown sugar.
Finish: Ginger spices a touch of almond and earthiness.
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Glendalough double barrel is a unique single grain Irish whiskey distilled from malted barley and Irish corn. This lovely, light and drinkable whiskey is really all about the cask selection, aged in ex-Wild Turkey casks for over three years before being finished in Oloroso sherry casks for the final 9 months.
To find the best Oloroso casks, they go off the beaten track to the small Andalusian town of Montilla, home of the famous PX grape. Here they talk one on one with producers, chose the bodega, the liquid, the time seasoning, and eventually the casks. This gives the folks at Glendalough more influence on the flavours in their Double Barrel whiskey, and this attention to detail really pays off - the American oak Bourbon barrels bringing sweet honey and smooth vanilla notes, laying down the foundations of the flavours, and the Spanish oak Oloroso barrels layering on dried fruit and nutty flavours.
Bottled at 42% ABV, brought down to this strength by Wicklow mountain water, Glendalough Double Barrel is a great introduction to the range, rich in vanilla, caramel, Christmas spices and dried fruit notes. -
World Whiskies Awards: Category Winner - 2021
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Gold Medal - 2017, Double Gold Medal - 2015
Irish Whiskey Awards: Gold Medal 2017, 2015
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The Glendalough Distillery was among Ireland’s first craft whiskey producers - founded by 5 friends with a mutual love of Irish whiskey and steeped in the lore and legend of Ireland back in 2011. The distillery is located in a narrow glacial valley in the Wicklow mountains, about an hour or so south of Dublin. Glendalough, pronounced glen-de-lock, is Gaelic for the glen of two lakes. County Wicklow, in which the valley is situated, is known as the “Garden of Ireland” and is among the most visited scenic attractions in the country. The venture was able to draw on the expertise of its founders Barry Gallagher and Brian Fagan, drinks analysts working in finance, and Gary McLoughlin and Kevin Keenan, who had experience in drinks advertising.
While drawing their inspiration from heritage, they weren't shy about innovation. With the help of another craft distillery, they first released a poitín distilled from sugar beet and barley and matured in Irish oak casks in 2012. Poitín was the origin of the species, the original “water of life”. It’s Ireland’s gift to the world, one of the first spirits ever to be distilled, but the people at Glendalough have added their own twist. They now even have a version matured in sherry casks.
In 2013 they set up a distillery in beautiful Wicklow for themselves after purchasing a Holstein still from Germany. While they wait for their own stocks to mature, they have sourced whiskey from the Cooley Distillery in Louth, but again they've managed to make it their own through the maturation and blending. Each bottle features the image of St Kevin, a sixth century hermit monk who founded a monastery in the valley of the two lakes. -
Producer Glendalough Distillery Style Blended Irish Whiskey Age No age statement Volume 70CL ABV 42%