Whisky: Glendalough Mizunara 7 Year Old
Producer: Mark Anthony Internation Unlimited Company
Distillery: Glendalough Distillery
Whisky Type: Single Malt (100% malted barley)
Region: Wicklow, Ireland
Age: 7 years
ABV: 46%
Cask: American oak and Japanese Mizunara oak
Price Range: $$
Glendalough is a craft distillery founded in 2011 by Barry Gallagher and Brian Fagan. The distillery draws its inspiration from St. Kevin, a 6th-century monk with Irish Royalty origins that disappeared in the wild to pray and be with nature. “Stand Apart” is the motto of the distillery.
Glendalough (The Valley of two lakes) is a deep, glacial valley nestled in the Wicklow Mountains, just south of Dublin.
From the website:
“The Wicklow mountains are renowned for their natural, scenic beauty. The area is known as The Garden of Ireland”.
Initially selling Poitín, the business quickly grew to offer a broader range of premium Irish spirits. Now in its 11th year, the distillery has become a leader in innovating Irish spirits, releasing some world-firsts like Irish whiskey aged in rare Japanese Mizunara oak, Irish single malt aged in Irish oak, and a range of distinctive gins distilled in the Wicklow mountains.
Tasting Notes for Glendalough Mizunara 7 Year Old
This expression of Glendalough is aged in American oak from Missouri (Level 4 char) and finished in Mizunara (Japanese oak) from the northern island of Hokkaido. These types of casks impart ashy, sandalwood, and incense flavors to the whiskey.
Nose: Delicate aromas of melons, vanilla, honey, and caramel with a touch of ash.
Palate: A sweet arrival of honey and fresh fruit (honeydew and melon) developing into a pleasant ashy and spicy oak that transitions nicely to the finish. Adding water will make the sweet and honey flavors become more dominant. A beautiful and balanced palate with no heat.
Finish: Medium. Slightly ashy and spicy.
Conclusion: This is an exciting and delicious Irish Whiskey that will impress those with a sweet palate and fans of Mizunara cask finish, which provides the secret weapon to elevate this young malt to the next level. What is most impressive about this malt is how well-integrated the flavors are at a young age. A very unique malt worth the $100 paid.
Score: 4.25/5 ⭐
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Find more videos and info on the Glendalough distillery here.
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