Hinch Double Wood Irish Whiskey
Hinch · Hinch Distillery, Ballynahinch, County Down
A quietly confident blend that punches above its price point. The virgin American oak component gives it a distinctive char-forward personality rare in accessible Irish whiskey, while the underlying grain keeps things bright and pure — exactly the mineral-meets-flame duality this issue celebrates.
Nose
Fresh-cut oak shavings and toasted cereal lead, followed by orchard fruit — Bramley apple, ripe pear — with a lift of orange zest and a faint whisper of vanilla bean. Underneath sits a dry, chalky minerality, like limestone warmed in the sun.
Palate
Medium-bodied and gently oily. Char-toasted oak meets buttered malt bread, then opens into honeyed citrus, cracked black pepper, and a flicker of clove. The virgin oak asserts itself mid-palate with a warm, kilned sweetness — think toasted marshmallow held near an open flame.
Finish
Medium length, drying, with lingering toasted oak, orange peel, and a mineral, flinty echo that keeps the sweetness honest.
- Mash Bill
- Blend of malted barley and unmalted grain (specific ratio undisclosed)
- Distillation
- Triple-distilled in copper pot and column stills
- Maturation
- Matured in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in virgin American oak casks
- Single Pot Still
- No
- Chill-Filtered
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Mourne Ember — 2 oz Hinch Double Wood, 0.5 oz honey syrup (2:1), 2 dashes orange bitters, 1 dash Angostura. Stir with ice, strain over a single large rock, express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in. Finish with a single drop of Islay whisky floated on top for a mineral, smoky ghost.
Food Pairing
Grilled mackerel with charred lemon and sea salt, or a wedge of aged Coolea cheese with oatcakes and heather honey.
Founded in 2016 on the Killaney Estate at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, Hinch Distillery draws on County Down's soft water and mineral-rich terroir, sourcing mature stocks while its own copper pot stills come of age.
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