Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey

Glendalough Double Barrel is an Irish whiskey bottled at 42% ABV. It is built on two kinds of wood. The whiskey is made from malted barley and corn, distilled in Coffey stills, and matured in ex-bourbon barrels. It is then finished in oloroso sherry casks of about 500 liters. Glendalough is an independent, craft-minded distillery that started out with its poitín styles, and this bottling shows its approach to whiskey. Irish whiskey is not Scotch despite the shelf category it sometimes shares, and this one sits firmly on the softer, rounder side of that divide. Because the first maturation is in bourbon wood, expect the usual ex-bourbon signatures: vanilla, a little toasted oak, and some coconut-like sweetness. The corn in the mash bill typically adds gentle sweetness, and the malted barley adds a biscuity grain note. The oloroso finish should bring a layer of dried fruit, nuts and baking spice over that base. This is not a smoky whiskey, and the sherry influence in a finish like this is usually more of an accent than the main flavor. At 42% it is easy to drink neat, and a Glencairn glass will show the vanilla and dried-fruit aromas best. For slower sipping, use a rocks glass with one large cube. The cube chills the whiskey and dilutes it only slowly, which suits a lighter spirit like this. A few drops of room-temperature water can open up the grain and oak if the nose feels tight. In cocktails, the sherry-cask sweetness works well in an Old Fashioned, where a sugar cube and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters play off the oak and spice. It also makes a softer Manhattan, which you can build with sweet vermouth and an orange peel instead of a cherry. For a Whiskey Sour, use fresh lemon juice and let the smoothness of the whiskey balance the tartness. For a Highball, pour over ice with soda water or ginger ale and add a lemon wedge. This is the most relaxed way to use it, and the bourbon-cask vanilla survives the dilution well. Cheddar, roasted nuts and dark chocolate are all sensible pairings for the dried-fruit side of the whiskey.