Review #: 419
Description: Clonakilty Single Barrel: Westmorland Liquor
Spirit: Irish Whiskey
Background: It’s been a while since I’ve sat down with some Irish whiskey (though I have a few in the backlog) but this is a completely new one to me. Clonakilty opened in 2018 and have been distilling, but not sure if this is their own distillate. It was finished in a Rivesalt Sweet Wine cask and selected by Westmorland Liquors in Oregon. Despite the unknown, I’m always for more cask strength Irish whiskey.
Distillery – Undisclosed
Bottler – Clonakilty
Brand – Clonakilty
Selection – Westmorland Liquors
ABV – 57.6%
Age – NAS
Nose – Rich and malty, milk chocolate, honey, wheat cereal, green apple, a very sweet and bright fruitiness that I have to imagine is from the wine cask, a tiny hint of hay/barnyard funk
Taste – More sweetness with honey graham cereal, sweet apple, barley sugar, white grape juice, vanilla cream
Finish – Pops with toasted barley, burnt sugar, tobacco, smokeless embers, heat lingers with a bit of graininess to it
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? At $75, I think it’s worth it for some tasty cask strength Irish whiskey
Thoughts: If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you might not like this as much as I did. It’s almost a dessert whiskey but the finish reminds you of the proof and possible age. If this is their distillate, there is reason to be excited. If it’s younger sourced barrels (Cooley??), they are still pretty solid.