This West Cork blended Irish whiskey is ultra affordable at just $30 per bottle.
West Cork Irish Whiskey
The Nose
The nose is subtle. It hints at vanilla and spice but it is underwhelming. It is subtle and not at all “in your face”.
The Palate
That subtleness continues from the nose into the palate. This whiskey is smooth and goes down easy, but its also very light and simple. The flavor profile is relatively flat. It has a note of sweet that is easily overpowered with even a splash of water or a few ice cubes.
I enjoyed this bottle of West Cork and put it in my Everyday Whiskey category. If you enjoy Irish Whiskey and want to keep an affordable bottle on hand to enjoy with friends, this should be on your list.
The Score – West Cork Irish Whiskey
Overall it scored a 77/100, making it Sip Worthy. It’s positive and negatives are closely linked. It’s smooth, but simple, making it an easy sipper, especially if you are new to whiskey, but that simplicity also means it might leave you wanting more depth and complexity.
Old Forester 1870 is one of my favorite bourbons. It sips easy and has a wonderful mouth feel that is complex, but extremely friendly. As far as I’m concerned, you can never go wrong with a bottle of Old Forester 1870.
Old Forester 1870 Bourbon
The Nose
After pouring a dram into a Glencairn Whisky Glass I swirled it and let a little of the heat of my hand warm the whiskey just a touch. There is a hint of floral notes that quickly turns to vanilla and caramel. Floating in the mix is a perfect amount of oak.
The Palate
One of the reasons I love Old Forester 1870 Bourbon so much is that the Nose and the Palate match so well. If you like the Nose you are going to love the Palate. The front of my tongue really appreciates those light but crisp floral notes. By the team the sip has hit my mid tongue it is all vanilla and caramel that smoothly transitions to a bit of oak char on the finish.
The Score – Old Forester 1870 Bourbon
Old Forester 1870 is an easy sipper. If you are new to bourbon put it over some ice to open it up. It softens the flavors and can open them up more for new bourbon lovers. Old Forester 1870 is very Sip Worthy and scores 80/100. It is also one of the bottles that started my Whiskey Safe. That means I have a bottle for when the apocalypse hits and I’m holed up in the mountains with nothing to do but drink good whiskey.
Color
Sunlit brown sugar.
Proof
45.0% ABV | 90 Proof
Pros:
Smooth start with floral notes.
Middle tones of caramel and oak.
Clean finish with cinnamon and spice.
Cons:
Isn’t always in stock.
Prices vary from $40 to $65 depending on local demand.
Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey has a lot of credentials. It won a Double Gold Medal at the 2015 San Francisco Spirits Competition, another Gold Model in 2017, and wasin the Wine Enthusiasts Top 100 Spirits in 2019.
Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey
This Glendalough was first aged in American oak barrels, then finished in Spanish oak Oloroso Sherry barrels.
With all those credentials I was excited to crack the bottle open.
The Nose
I poured a dram into a Glencairn Whisky Glass and swirled it for a moment before taking a whiff. The nose is burnt oak mellowed by sweet vanilla. It was hard to pick which one hit me first. Each time I breathed in this Glendalough I picked up different notes.
The Palate
The mouth feel was smooth and creamy that coats the back of your throat in spice as you swallow. Just like the nose, I found that each sip brought out a different aspect of this whiskey. At times the spice was almost overwhelming, with the oak and spice turning to black liquorice on the swallow.
Glendalough Double Barrel is stilled using a column still. From what I can find, they use a Coffey Still, which was on of the first commercially available continuous stills.
Why does that matter? This Glendalough Double Barrel is shooting for pot distilled flavors and notes, but you just can’t get there without using a pot still, which retain more flavors. Column stills tent to produce higher alcohol content, lighter flavored alcohols. Which is where this Glendalough Double Barrel comes in. It is trying to be a budget pot still in flavor, and actually does a decent job of getting there, but not all the way.
There are hints of deeper flavors from the time spent in the sherry casks, but the oak notes burn across a lot of the more subtle flavors.
The Score – Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey
For me this Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey scored a 74/100.
I will absolutely order a dram of this if I’m out and about, and it is clearly in the Sip Worthy category, but for me it didn’t make it into my Whiskey Safe which means I won’t be keeping an unopened bottle on hand to enjoy after the Zombie Apocalypse has started.
Color
Deep golden yellow.
Proof
42.0% ABV | 84 Proof
Pros:
The nose has depth and complexity.
Strong oak and toasted wood. If you like your whiskey on the stronger side of the flavor profiles, this might be for you.
Subtle sweetness that vies with the oak and sherry to be tasted.
Cons:
Never quite achieves the butter cookie notes I love in other Irish Whiskeys.
The toasted/burnt oak can really overpower the other tastes.
This Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon hales from Sonoma Country, California, and is apparently named in honor of an actual redwood tree named “Pipedream”.
I guess this bourbon has a big repetition to live up to.
Which probably explains the big bold flavors that this Pipe Dream bourbon brings to the table. From the first scent, to the first sip, this is a strong, flavorful bourbon.
The nose is mildly sweet, full of toasted wood and char. Don’t let the nose fool you, the moment you take the first sip this bourbon fills your mouth with a swirling, complex flavor profile. It is wood char with a little sweetness under it, which finishes on a strong nuttiness that quickly turns to black pepper.
This is not a bourbon for the weak hearted.
Scoring – Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon
I did enjoy sipping this Redwood Empire Pipe Dream and can see myself wanting more in the future. It’s not a dram I’d drink as a casual sipper, but on those occasions I want something full flavored and strong, this will absolutely be a go to, which is the reason this scored an 81/100.
Pros
Wonderfully complex bourbon.
Mildly sweet opening that instantly becomes woody char and black pepper.
Deep and flavorful.
Cons:
May be too much for new bourbon drinkers.
Flavors may be too much for some.
The bottle is really tall. No, seriously, it doesn’t fit onto the shelf with my other bottles. I had to put it on a different shelf because its so tall.
