The Celtic Cask Ocht is the eight independent release by the Celtic Whiskey shop. It’s only the third of theirs I’ve tried, but it’s hard for me to imagine that they’ve done anything better than this. You’ll see what I mean when we get to the Celtic Cask Ocht review, but I feel like they’ve stumbled upon a magical formula here. A formula which I’ll let them talk about right… now.
In Celtic Whiskey Shop’s Words: Celtic Cask Ocht
“Another great finishing in our slightly famous Anima Negra casks. Anima Negra is a highly regarded winery on the island of Mallorca, they make some of the finest red wines in Spain, predominantly from local grape varietals. We have released several whiskeys that have been finished in their fine French oak casks and this is one of the best. These casks seem to have a great affinity with Irish whiskey and they tend to add delicious flavours of cola, spice and dried citrus fruits.”
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about these Celtic Whiskey Shop releases is the clues they leave for their “undisclosed” whiskeys. Clues like the Celtic Cask Ocht being a whiskey that was “double distilled on the island of Ireland” which means it was Cooley. In 1991 the only other active distilleries were Jameson and Bushmills who both triple distill. It’s kind of like when someone describes their “undisclosed” as an unpeated northern Islay whisky… you know exactly who it is. Now, on to the Celtic Cask Ocht review!
Celtic Cask Ocht Info
Region: Ireland
Distiller: Undisclosed (likely Cooley)
Bottler: Celtic Whiskey Shop
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Sherry & ex-Anima Negra (red wine) Cask
Age: 23 years (16th September 1991 – 1st October 2014)
ABV: 46%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 8
Cask: 1917
Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller ($347 when available)
Celtic Cask Ocht Review
EYE
Deep, reddish bronze
NOSE
Deep heavy dark fruit (cherry and raisin dominant), vermouth, citric acid, complex baking spice, molasses, vanilla beans and a bit of cocoa. It… it just smells so amazing.
PALATE
Dense deep dark fruit, molasses, caramelized malt, vermouth, citrus, vanilla bean, olde time candy, complex baking spice and bits of honey, cocoa, anise and allspice. I could honestly just keep listing flavors, I feel like I pick up something new with each sip.
FINISH
Long brooding fade of dark fruit, dark sweets, honey, bitter cocoa, toasted nuts and malt.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Excellent balance, full rich body and a heavy oily feel.
OVERALL
This Celtic Cask Ocht is crazy good. I’ll try to soldier through a wrap up description here while sipping on the last bit of the sample I was given by a gracious friend, but I’m having troubles seeing the screen over my grin. I mean seriously… this stuff is incredible, especially within the category.
The aroma is so dense I feel like if this was cask strength it might clog my sinuses. After spending far too long smelling it I tasted it and immediately relaxed back into my chair in pure delight. The finish went on and on and I never wanted it to end. This Celtic Cask Ocht is so deep that it felt like I was falling every time I indulged in it. Undeniably my favorite Irish Whiskey to date.
SCORE: 95/100 (A)
Big thanks to Alex for theCeltic Cask Ocht sample!