From our friends at Glendalough Distillery...
Ireland’s First Craft Distillery Redefines Irish Whiskey with Single Grain Barrel-Aged Release
Glendalough Distillery, Ireland’s first craft distiller, is leading an exciting Irish whiskey revival with the American release of its new Double Barrel Irish Whiskey. Available in leading bars and retailers in Washington D.C. from February, this hand-crafted small batch spirit is a new caliber of Irish whiskey, boasting unique richness and complexity in a category dominated by mass production.
“This truly new, unique style of Irish whiskey was born of a wild Irish streak,” said Glendalough’s USA Brand Manager Donal O’Gallachoir. “Like the fiercely independent, Irish monk, St. Kevin whose image graces every one of our bottles, we are carving our own way with the Double Barrel. This whiskey represents a distinguished sociability - it dares to stand out in a world of copycats and ‘same old’ styles.”
Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey brings new life to a 19th century style of Irish whiskey that would be familiar to your grandaddy. Hand-distilled in a Coffey still from a mash bill of malted barley and corn, the whiskey gains its distinctive complexity from gentle, steady aging that is aided by the country’s mild maritime climate. The double-aging process combines three years and six months in first-fill American oak bourbon barrels, then graduates to six months in first-fill Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. Before bottling, the cask-strength whiskey is cut with water sourced from the surrounding Wicklow Mountains.
The Bourbon barrels impart deep, robust chocolate and caramel notes, lightened on the palate with fruity, nutty notes from the Oloroso casks. The subtle nose is rich with the dark, fruity notes of Christmas pudding, and a sweet and creamy palate resounds richly with honeyed sweetness returning to dry fruit and a gingery, golden finish.
With the Double Barrel’s debut, Glendalough continues to lead a new renaissance in Irish craft spirits. Based in Glendalough, County Wicklow, the distillery is located near the site of a medieval monastic settlement founded in 6 A.D.by the legendary Irish monk St. Kevin. It was at settlements like this where monks produced the world’s first distilled spirit - poitín - as early as 584 A.D. Signaling an innovative return to Ireland’s long-lost craft spirits tradition, Glendalough’s first release was a modern poitín, and the distillery has since moved in a natural progression towards whiskey, first with the release of 7- and 13-year single malts and now, the Double Barrel Irish Whiskey. Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey is sold in 750 ML bottles at fine spirits retailers and poured at top bars and restaurants in Boston, New York, the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and Atlanta.
About Glendalough Distillery:
Determined to carve their own way, five friends from Dublin and Wicklow founded Glendalough Distillery to revive Ireland’s lost heritage of great spirits distillation and create innovative, exciting brands. Together, they created Ireland’s first craft distillery in Glendalough, harnessing fourteen centuries of Irish spirits-making tradition that stretches back to monks who made the world’s first distilled spirit - poitín - as early as 548 A.D. On every Glendalough Distillery bottle, the image of St. Kevin represents the distillery’s embrace of this ancient heritage and the notoriously independent Irish character. The Glendalough Distillery range includes two poitíns, 7- and 13-year old single malt Irish whiskeys, two seasonal, botanical gins, and the new Double Barrel Irish Whiskey.
