Glendalough Pot Still Irish Oak Finish

Nose: Mineral water, coconut water, passion fruit, shredded coconut, green apple, cinnamon. Ethanol numbs you after a bit, but you never really smell it. Let it sit, rest the nose, come back: banana, vanilla, bread pudding - actually sort of has a Nilla Wafer thing going on, which is kind of amazing because I hadn't thought of those things in like a decade plus until just now. Oaky, sort of vague pot still spices finish it out. Palate: Oh, that's dry - first thought. Smooth, coating, rich mouthfeel, but not quite rising to oily. Bitter finish. Struggling to grab specific flavor notes - it's a lot of dry, bitter, and tannic pucker. A cinnamon Red Hots type heat settles in late in the finish, but it's only in spots, not the tongue tattoo you get from some bourbons. Late in the pour, starting to get some vanilla and cherry, faintly sweet bread pudding, and maybe some sour green apple. There's a chalky, mineral aftertaste that you notice basically after the finish has run its course (still some lingering tingle, but mostly done). This makes me go back and think more in that direction while tasting: fresh pour comes across earthy and a bit like a hoppy beer. Maybe there's some pine needle in it. I feel like what I wrote above is not a great review. And really this is not a great whiskey, best I can tell. But it is kinda interesting and, after 2.5 months with this bottle—which is now about one pour from empty—I never hated it, never really thought that I was struggling to get a flavor profile (until I tried to write it down). It is very untraditional - for pot still or for whiskey generally. It's an experiment, with the Irish oak and all. I dig that - probably not enough to buy it again, but certainly enough to take a chance on the next Glendalough bottle, Irish oak and all, and to recommend others do the same. I'd like to think there are innovations to be made in distilling. Glendalough seems to be looking for them. The line between experiment and gimmick can be pretty thin, but this seems to land on the right side of that line. Trying a new wood seems inherently risky rather than an attempt to create and/or cash in on a trend - kudos to Glendalough for taking a shot.

Be forewarned. This is more a rueful rant than a review. This distillery is my local one, and I drive past it daily. They have been operating for about 10 years and produce many well-regarded gins, as many new distilleries do. For their initial whiskey releases, they bought Cooley stock and sold it under their own label. Again, typical for new Irish distilleries. Some of them are excellent, like the 17yo mizunara finish single malt. But they hadn't produced their own whiskey yet. I fancied owning something made in my area, so I decided to wait. This is a 4yo whiskey, and they released it with fanfare in 2019 as their first pot still whiskey. It came out around the same time as Teeling and Drumshanbo were doing likewise. Great, I thought. They used oak from a local forest for the final year of virgin oak maturation. Even better, I thought. It’d be warming to have an inaugural release so firmly rooted in the area I now call home: a fresh, first still-run from the distillery down the road; a lovingly barrelled and carefully watched-over piece of Wicklow; nectar from the “Garden of Ireland“. Filled with romantic notions and local pride I bought a bottle. I later learned that this first release of Glendalough pot still was not their own distillate. It annoys me that I went ‘all in’ on an alluring fantasy. Poor research on my part, and I guess a lack of transparency on theirs. Even the official blurb here describes it as “the distillery’s first pot still whiskey“. It was their first pot still whiskey release, but not THEIR first pot still whiskey. The provenance of the whiskey doesn’t alter the taste, I know that, and this is still a solid whiskey (I particularly like the virgin oak finish). But something leaves a bitter taste…

Bottle 296, Batch 001, Cask 5, Tree 12. I once had a Glen of Imaal Terrier. It's fine if you've never heard of them; I'll wait while you search for them, and please do... it's worthwhile. Tradition suggests they likely came from the farms of County Wicklow. He was the finest dog I've ever known, and I thought if the county can produce spirits that are half as good as the dog, it'll be incredible. So I finally located and purchased this bottle. The aroma is quite reserved, and strikes me in three distinct segments, first as soft tropical fruits and then coconut and then aged oak. Ethanol is low with this, so don't hesitate to explore and find others. A little more searching reveals light honeysuckle and slight pine pitch, but that's about all I could detect. The palate opens very, very dry, and is yet somehow velvety, like a very nice Chardonnay; apples, pears, green grapes and honeydew lightly move around your mouth before it too quickly shifts to very bitter grass and blanched almonds. The finish is so short it could appropriately be called abrupt, leaving just the smallest hint of vanilla and honey before vanishing completely to a flavorless tingle that continues for another 20 seconds. So how did this compare to the best dog I've ever known? Not that well, to be honest. The potential is there... velvety, vibrant, multi-faceted, but it just turns too bitter, too fast. A sensible rating is probably a 3.25. However, I will try another offering because I'm sentimental (and obstinate, just like the dog). Perhaps a few more years in different wood will make all the difference. Either way, I like that I can look at the bottle and fondly remember the dog. And this is my assessment, and my rating, and to me that's worth another half a point, so 3.75 it is.

I'm really enjoying this. It's quite unlike the buttery, melon-like flavors I've come to expect from pot still Irish whiskey. Nose: Initially, there's something that smells unusual about this dram. Perhaps it's because I was anticipating something smoother and more subtle, like other pot stills. What you get first is this sharp, zesty lemon and citrus note sitting on top of sweet, buttery bread-like characteristics. It's floral, herbal, and piney, which I suspect comes from its final year aging in Irish oak. This differs from whiskey aged solely in American oak. It might deter some, but I appreciate something novel and distinct. Palate: The taste is quite impressive for me. It's not particularly oily, which is a downside. However, as I mentioned, I truly appreciate something different that challenges my palate. The herbal, piney, almost tea-like flavors are prominent upfront. The citrus doesn't carry through to the palate, but the beloved honey biscuit and buttery notes of pot stills are evident in the mid-palate. The finish has a moderate wood spice, but there isn't a significant amount if you just take a single sip. With a few sips, it builds up. This brings to mind childhood walks with my parents where we'd select a live Christmas tree. I recall touching every tree I could, and often afterward, I'd find pine residue on my fingers. I disliked it because it was always difficult to wash off, but it left behind a pine sap aroma that this dram evokes.

It's been a while since I've put together a rating - such is life sometimes, but I've had a few new tastes, and it's time to get back at it. This has a truly distinctive aroma - if you brought this to me blind, I wouldn't be able to identify it as an Irish, but at the same time wouldn't label it as Scotch, Bourbon, Japanese, or any other style - it's in a category of its own. Somewhat floral, slightly resinous... mild sweetness, moderate spice, and quite complex. I think it's safe to say I enjoy the aroma, but it feels somewhat young. The flavor is similarly distinctive - wood-forward, and lacking the sweetness of, well, basically any other pot still Irish I've consumed (which admittedly isn't extensive). An easy sip, but not one you consume quickly. This is an interesting bottle to have on the shelf - I'm pleased to have it, but it will admittedly be an 'every so often when I'm looking for something unique' type pour.

The Glendalough Pot Still is crafted from malted and unmalted Irish barley. It matures for 3 years in bourbon casks, followed by up to a year in a rare Irish oak cask. The higher levels of toasted oak and vanilla imparted by the Irish oak complement and balance the traditional Pot Still spices. Each bottle is individually numbered and traceable to its specific cask and even the tree it originated from. Nose: Pot Still spice and dried raisins. Becomes sweeter with aeration. Palate: A very luxurious mouthfeel. Spicy with dried fruits, possessing a sweet note. Finish: Medium length, with intense spicy notes.