
Glendalough Double Barrel Single Grain Irish Whiskey
Glendalough · Glendalough Distillery
Glendalough's Double Barrel single grain challenges the assumption that grain whiskey is inherently less interesting than malt or pot still. The double maturation—first in bourbon barrels, then in oloroso sherry casks—adds layers that the grain base delivers with transparency. An excellent introduction to Irish grain whiskey.
Nose
Green cut grass and fresh pear open the nose, followed by creamy vanilla and a touch of coconut. A light honeyed sweetness rounds out a surprisingly complex introduction for a grain whiskey.
Palate
Light to medium body with buttery cereal and a burst of orchard fruit. The bourbon barrel finishing adds caramel warmth, while a floral note—faint rosewater—adds unexpected dimension. The grain base keeps things clean and approachable.
Finish
Short to medium, with vanilla and a lingering green freshness. Clean and crisp exit.
- Distillation
- Column distilled
- Maturation
- Bourbon barrels, finished in oloroso sherry casks
- Single Pot Still
- No
- Chill-Filtered
- Chill filtered
Cocktail Suggestion
Wicklow Highball — 2 oz Glendalough Double Barrel · 4 oz chilled sparkling water · 0.5 oz honey syrup · Squeeze of lemon · Build over ice in highball glass, stir gently, garnish with lemon wheel.
Food Pairing
Smoked salmon on brown bread with dill cream
Five friends from Dublin founded Glendalough Distillery in 2011 in the Wicklow Mountains, drawing on wild botanicals and the region's monastic distilling heritage to craft spirits that reflect the rugged landscape of Ireland's Garden County.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment

Glendalough 17 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Glendalough
This 17-year-old showcases what extended maturation in a temperate Irish climate can achieve. The spirit retains freshness despite its age, and the interplay between dried fruit richness and malt sweetness is expertly balanced. Bottled at 46% without chill-filtration, it delivers transparency and texture in equal measure.

Glendalough 7 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Glendalough
Glendalough's location in the Wicklow Mountains informs a whiskey that tastes of its environment—green, bright, and grounded. At 46% and non-chill filtered, the barley character transmits with unusual clarity for a seven-year-old malt.

Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Oak Finish
Glendalough
The mizunara oak finish transforms what would already be a solid aged Irish single malt into something genuinely distinctive. Mizunara is notoriously difficult to work with — it leaks, it warps — and Glendalough's decision to use it as a finishing wood rather than primary maturation was smart. The result is a whiskey that bridges Irish approachability with Japanese aesthetic restraint.

Waterford Sheestown Edition 8.1 Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Waterford
Waterford's single farm origin concept makes the barrel's influence a controlled variable, letting the barley itself speak. This Sheestown edition shows how terroir and restrained oak maturation can produce a whiskey of elegant precision. It's intellectual without being austere.

Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree No. 4
Midleton
Midleton's Dair Ghaelach series is a masterclass in how maturation vessel transforms spirit. Tree No. 4 from Bluebell Forest showcases the furnace-like intensity of virgin Irish oak tamed by the decades-long patience of pot still maturation. At cask strength, it's a riveting study in heat shaped by time—bold, complex, and unmistakably Irish.

Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Teeling
Teeling's Blackpitts is a reminder that Irish whiskey and peat were once inseparable. The triple-distilled spirit softens the smoke into something nuanced and approachable. Named after the area of Dublin where malt was historically dried over peat fires, this is a history lesson in a glass.

Writers' Tears Marsala Cask Finish
Writers' Tears
This Marsala Cask Finish demonstrates what a well-chosen cask can do when the base spirit already has structure. The pot still component provides enough backbone that the finishing cask flatters rather than masks. A distinctive Irish whiskey that rewards slow sipping.