Whisky: Clonakilty Single Batch Double Oak Finish Irish Whiskey
Producer: Family Owned
Distillery: Clonakilty Distillery
Region: West Cork, Ireland
Whisky Type: Blended Irish Whiskey
Age: NAS
ABV: 43.6%
Aged in Cask: ex-bourbon, new charred American oak, and ex-Bordeaux
Price Range: $$

Clonakilty Single Batch Double Oak is an Irish Blend from Clonakilty Distillery in West Cork, Ireland. The distillery was founded in 2019 by the Scully family, who have farmed the local land for nine generations. An environmentally friendly distillery strives to minimize its carbon footprint by keeping 90 % of production operations within the local area. The family uses its locally grown non-peated barley for Pot Still recipes and malted barley from County Cork.

The Irish blend is made of 10 year old triple-distilled malt whiskey and 8 year old grain whiskey. The primary maturation is in an ex-bourbon cask and finished in two types of wood: New charred American oak and ex-red wine Bordeaux casks. The French casks are regenerated by shaving down the old staves and re-toasting them with a medium toast to impart spice and fruit flavors to the whiskey. This practice is known as the New Era of Casks (NEOC).

This expression won Double Gold at the 2019 San Francisco Spirits Competition and World’s Best Blended Irish Whiskey at the 2020 World Whisky Awards. It is also the world’s first Irish Whiskey to be finished in a NEOC cask and the flagship of the Cask Finish Series. Other expressions in the series include another Irish Blend finished in Port Casks and a Single Grain finished in Bordeaux Cask.

Tasting Notes for Clonakilty Double Oak Irish Blend

My bottle is # 4500 from batch 18 and is bottled at 43.6% ABV.

Nose: Delicate aromas of orchard fruits, specifically apples, and pears. There are also some dominant vanilla aromas coming through.

Palate: Sweet arrival of red apples and vanilla. The mid-palate is light and flavorful but not very complex. The American oak barrel certainly imparts vanilla flavors, while the Bordeaux cask imparts spices that start kicking in the mid-palate. The main draw here is balance and delicacy.

Finish: Medium and slightly spicy, but nothing too bold.

Conclusion: Clonakilty Single Batch is a delicate and highly approachable Irish Blend that balances the fruit flavors and spices well. However, I find this flavor profile hard to sell in the South East of the USA because it could be too delicate for that audience. In Bourbon Country, you look for complex and bold flavors from the corn or rye to drive the experience, and boldness is not the main play here. However, if you are on the side of the Atlantic, you might find this one a tasty blend. I like this blend for anyone getting started in whiskey or who enjoys flavors of orchard fruits. Slainte!

Score: 3.25/5 ⭐

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Find more info at  the Clonakilty distillery here.

Legend
$50 or less $
$51-$100 $$
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$151 or more $$$$