Glendalough Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Glendalough Distillery · Glendalough Distillery (with sourced whiskey; virgin Irish oak finishing in-house)
A genuinely singular pot still — the virgin Irish oak imparts a spice profile you won't find in sherry- or bourbon-matured peers, and at this price it punches well above its weight for adventurous drinkers.
Nose
Fresh-cut apple, buttery pastry, and toasted cereal open the glass, followed by cinnamon bark, orange zest, and a distinctive resinous note of freshly cut Irish oak — pine sap, cedar shavings, and a whisper of clove.
Palate
Creamy and viscous with the classic pot still 'chew' — green apple skin, barley sugar, and vanilla custard giving way to gingerbread, black pepper, and a woody, almost herbal spice from the virgin oak. A touch of honey and dried apricot rounds the mid-palate.
Finish
Long and warming, with lingering baking spice, oak tannin, and a resinous cedar note that fades into malt and dried orange peel.
- Distillation
- Triple-distilled
- Maturation
- Initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in virgin Irish oak casks coopered from sustainably harvested Wicklow oak
- Single Pot Still
- No
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered
Cocktail Suggestion
The Upland Monk — 2 oz Glendalough Pot Still, 0.5 oz Bénédictine, 0.25 oz honey syrup, 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir with ice for 30 seconds, strain into a chilled coupe, express an orange peel over the surface and drop in.
Food Pairing
Roasted pork loin with apple-cider glaze and caraway-roasted parsnips — the whiskey's virgin-oak spice and orchard fruit mirror the caramelization on the pork while cutting the root vegetables' sweetness.
Nestled in the glacial valley beneath Ireland's Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough is the country's first craft distillery of the modern era, drawing its identity — and its virgin oak finishing casks — from the ancient highland forests that ring the monastic ruins of St. Kevin.
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