I entered the tasting room, aka the kitchen in my 1 bedroom apt in Hollywood, with a bit of trepidation about the West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask. I looked at the bottle, contemplated its siblings the West Cork Rum Finish and the West Cork Port Finish and how they came so close to the mark but missed and thought “here you go West Cork. Here’s your chance at surpassing slightly-above-average and hitting that mark”.
Aged for 12 months in ex-Bourbon and then finished in 6 months in Pedro Ximinez the color was light enough to give me pause. So I poured generous Glencairn of the whiskey and let it sit for 10 minutes while I puttered around the apartment before diving in. I want to love you West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask, but you need to give me something more than your predecessors… let’s find out if it did.
Whiskey Review: West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask
In West Cork’s Words: West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask
“West Cork Irish Whiskey – Cask Finishes (43% abv/86 proof) – A limited release of 12YO Single Malt Irish whiskey aged in first fill Bourbon casks for 12 years and finished for circa 110 days in rum, sherry (Pedro Ximinez) or port (Douro Superior) casks. WCD polish matures in selected casks for a shorter period than other distilleries to avoid overpowering the bourbon cask maturation.
WEST CORK 12YO SINGLE MALTSHERRY CASK FINISH
Colour: Magogany Brown
Aroma: Malt, dried fruit. Almonds,
Taste: Malt, floral,dried fruit, berries & lingering sweetness”
West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Ireland
Distiller: West Cork Distillers
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Port
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 43%
Price: $60
West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Sherry, earthy malt, honey, brown sugar, apricot, graham, vanilla, cinnamon and a bit of nuts.
PALATE
Sherry, earthy malt, honey, brown sugar, toffee, oil, spice, vanilla and a bit of cocoa.
FINISH
Long -> Sherry sweetness, fruity, spice and nuts.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a lightly oily feel.
West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Review – OVERALL
Damn… it’s good, but not exceptional and I had some hope, tiny as it was, that the West Cork 12 Year Old Sherry Cask would be exceptional. The aroma has a nice earthy-malt-meets-sherry-sweetness to it that I enjoy and the palate hits the same stride with a bit of added cocoa. Though to be honest the finish is the best part.
My overall impression of this series is that they approached it too clinical and cut everything off at 6 months. The Rum cask I wouldn’t push further than 6 months, but bottle higher and NCF. The Port needed another 3-6 months and also higher proof and NCF and this, the sherry… well. It was undeniably tasty, but it could have been spectacular with at least another 6 months, higher proof and NCF. In short, all good whiskeys that just missed the mark on their true potential to be better than just good.
SCORE: 87/100 (B+)
