Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey Review

Blended Irish Whiskey is nothing new, heck it's what the category has long been known for. Young, chill filtered, bottled at 40% and delivering light honied fruit notes. It's a segment that was sitting stale for a long time, but over the last 6 or so years new players, with new approaches, arrived and started shaking things up a bit. Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey is one of those players.

On the surface, a blend of 80% grain and 20% malt may not seem like a departure, just more of the same, and on the surface that's true. Look below the surface and you'll find the malt component is the same whiskey that's in their Barr an Uisce 1803 10-Year-Old Single Malt.

You'll also find a grain whiskey that's matured in first fill ex-Bourbon barrels for 4 years and then finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks for 6 months before being blended with the 10 yo malt and bottled at 43%. This is a blend that has far more to it than what the surface presents and I'm excited to dive into it in the Irish Whiskey review below.

Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey Review: Details and Tasting Notes

Our signature blend with its perfect combination of grain and malt to a 43% ABV is complex, pure and up-lifting. This reflects the native Wicklow spirit shaped over the past five hundred years through our rich and complex heritage, landscape, community and culture.

Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey Review: Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Ireland

Distiller: Cooley
Bottler: Barr an Uisce
Blend: 80% Grain Whiskey, 20% 10 yo Single Malt Whiskey
Cask: First Fill ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry
Age: NAS (4+ years)
ABV: 43%

Price: $35

Non-Chill Filtered

Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes

NOSE
Honey, banana, apple juice, spice, toffee, fresh pastries and some coconut and a light herbal quality.

PALATE
Honey, banana, vanilla taffy, Cheerios, caramel, fresh pastries and some butterscotch and herbal notes.

FINISH
Medium -> Orchard fruit, banana, vanilla taffy, herbal and some butterscotch.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, medium body and soft silken feel.

Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey Review: Overall and Score

Ignoring the ultra rare stuff, this is the best damn Irish blend I've ever had. It has character, it has depth and most of all it's interesting. It isn't that oh-my-god-here-comes-another-one ho-hum light honied fruit character.

The aroma has a sweet malt-like character that's interesting and pleasant. The palate comes through as a bit darker and a bit sweeter than the aroma and the finish fades sweet and herbal.

As it sits and opens, the whole profile of the Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Blend Irish Whiskey gets a bit darker and a bit more interesting. Being 43%, adding a splash of water doesn't change it much, but does kick up the herbal notes a tad more. This is a new minimum bar for me when it comes to Irish blends.

SCORE: 84/100 (B)