That's right, they didn't peat the malt to make this release, they used the peat to char the inside of the barrels instead; imbuing the barrel themselves with the peat smoke. After its initial sherry maturation, the whiskey was moved to these peat charred barrels for at least 6 months.
I've had other whiskeys that utilize barrels that previously held peated whiskey and the peat is usually light, but this is heavy peat that reminds me more than a bit of Connemara.
On the bottle, like the Bog Oak, this is labeled as being at cask strength. However, after posting the Bog Oak review, the company reached out and let me know that it was indeed a mislabel. It is not cask strength. Now on to the Irish Whiskey review.
West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask Review: Details and Tasting Notes
In West Cork's Words: West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask
The ancient hills of Glengarriff, West Cork are home to ancient woodland & accompanying bogland. The Glengarriff series of West Cork Irish Whiskey is an august tribute to the historic part of Ireland. Peat harvested from Glengarriff is burned using traditional bellowing techniques to charr the casks and create a truly unique Irish Whiskey.
West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask Review: Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Ireland
Distiller: West Cork Distillers
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Sherry, ex-Bourbon charred with Peat
Age: NAS (3+ Years)
ABV: 43%
Price: $50
West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask Review: Tasting Notes
NOSE
Fruit, BBQ smoke, caramel taffy, spice, cocoa Necco, hay-like malt and some citrus.
PALATE
Liquid smoke, grilled fruit, roasted malt, cocoa and ashy char.
FINISH
Long -> Char, cocoa, fruit, plastic and char.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, medium body and oily feel.
West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask Review: Overall and Score
I went into the West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask with zero expectations. It sounded like an interesting experiment, "peating" the barrel instead of the barley, and the result was indeed interesting. It's not as deeply peated as most Islay whiskies, but the peat smoke notes are distinct and present. Though more-so on the nose than the palate.
Aroma comes through as lightly peated but it gets a bit heavier on the peat and earthy characters as it opens up and gains some added pops of citrus to compliment the smoky and sweet dark notes. The palate reminds me of the Connemara Cask Strength with the smoky, sweet and earthy notes all sitting in parity. The finish is my least favorite part as it fades out like burned plastic.
Not likely something I'd seek out regularly, but the West Cork Glengarriff Peat Charred Cask is a unique and interesting whiskey that would make a great addition to a St. Paddy's lineup.
SCORE: 80/100 (B-)
