West Cork Glengarriff Series Peat Charred Cask Single Malt

I was curious about trying some unconventional Irish whiskies a while ago. Someone shared a good selection of unusual Irish whiskies with me. Among them were several West Cork spirits, a distillery I've noticed gaining prominence but haven't yet sampled. I decided to purchase this one after discovering it. The concept is quite intriguing (not peated like Connemara but aged in peat-charred casks) and it comes in one of the most visually appealing whiskey bottles I've ever seen. Nose: Very fresh and herbaceous. A touch of vanilla sweetness. Some spearmint. A hint of rubber; somewhere between tire rubber and the scent of rubber on a turf football pitch. Cinnamon and black pepper. Dried grass, damp grass, and tree bark. Citrus notes of orange and grapefruit, alongside banana. A subtle smokiness. A puzzling aroma, but it has become more harmonious as I've consumed the bottle. Palate: Vanilla and caramel. More of those grassy, earthy, green notes. Tree bark and dried grass. Some more spearmint. An interesting cured ham character. Pear, and instead of apple, I'd liken it to applesauce. More banana and grapefruit. Toffee and malt. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Mildly smoky and ashy. Similar to the nose, this has significantly improved since opening. I initially detected the rubbery notes from the aroma, but they are absent in this tasting. Finish: Almost like banana taffy candy. Toffee, vanilla, and honey sweetness. More banana. Spearmint and wintergreen. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak conclude this unexpectedly lengthy finish. Difficult to assign a score. I admit, I was prepared to criticize this spirit. I had tried it on three separate occasions, including recently, and had not enjoyed it at all. However, tonight, my experience was quite different. Aside from the rubbery aroma, everything seemed more unified, balanced, and engaging. Notably, this is the first time I've sampled this from a Glencairn glass. I've mentioned this before, but glassware can profoundly influence your experience with a particular expression, some more than others. For this reason, I only write my reviews when using a Glencairn. I have a little over half a bottle remaining to fully assess this. Initially, I had rated this at a flat 2 stars. After allowing it time and tasting it from a Glencairn, I've settled on a score of 2.75. I will likely revise this review at least once. It is undoubtedly a distinctive whiskey. Perhaps not one I would recommend, but it is growing on me.

This is one of the newest offerings from my preferred Irish distillery: West Cork. They operate as an independent distillery and provide a fine selection of single malt and Irish whiskey. This particular bottle was aged in ex-peated whisky casks that were re-charred and then used for their base spirit. The whiskey was remarkably smooth, featuring a nice charred oak taste alongside the common vanilla and barley notes found in many of their products. My palate was somewhat fatigued at this point, and I detected little to no peat flavor. The re-charring of the casks likely limited any peat smoke to a minimal level, but it was still an excellent whiskey that I would be eager to try again. I believe they are available in Virginia, so it's a matter of patience and hope that they bring this Glengarriff Series here soon.

Nose: Green apples. Hard candies. Waves of peat smoke, not too intense though. Caramel. A little pepper. Some malt. A wonderful nose! Palate: Smokier than the nose. Fruitiness is more complex, with citrus appearing alongside the apple. More hints of pepper. Subtle sweetness of honey and taffy. All rounded out by malt. Finish: Medium-long. Very warm. Smoke and apple linger. Overall Score: 91. This is fantastic. I was already impressed with West Cork after trying their Black Reserve for the first time, but this has significantly elevated my opinion of them. This is an absolutely delicious whiskey. I saw some comments that made me a bit apprehensive, but I certainly wasn't expecting a heavy peat nose and palate like a Laphroaig. So, I wasn't disappointed in any way. This is easily my new favorite among the West Cork selections.

A robust, Peated Irish Whiskey from West Cork Distillery in West Cork, Ireland. It was initially matured in Sherry casks and then finished in casks charred with peat & bog oak from the Glengarriff Forest in Southern Ireland. It presents an aromatic beginning with notes of orange oil, fried banana, dry earth & a touch of cinnamon; while a bold & oily body adds notes of malt, quince, oak vanilla & ripe pear; leading to a long & spicy conclusion with notes of peppery oak, dried apricot & a hint of smoke. July 2019 / September 2022

Very potent peat on the nose. The peat does somewhat diminish after your senses adjust. Intense peat flavor and quite bitter initially. The bitterness lingers considerably after swallowing. It also overshadows any other flavor besides the peat. I added a bit of water to see if it improved; it remained bitter. Adding ice made it more drinkable but still quite bitter. Some might appreciate this if they enjoy bitterness, similar to IPAs, but it's excessively bitter for my preference.

An excellent choice for a blind tasting event!!!!! It tastes like a nice, lightly peated Scotch, very smooth, with a brief sherry-like sweetness before the light smoky peat appears. Now, regarding it as an Irish whiskey, it's truly distinctive, smooth, and flavorful, earning 4/5 stars. However, for $80 CAD, you could get a decent Highland Park or Glenlivet that tastes a bit better. So, compared to Scotch, it's a 3.5/5.