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Whiskey Review: West Cork Glengarriff Series Bog Oak Charred Cask

We review West Cork Glengarriff Series Bog Oak Charred Cask, an Irish whiskey that uses an unusual strategy to capture the flavor of peat.

OVERALL RATING

6
$40.00
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Tasting Notes

About:

Walking backwards, this whiskey is aged for six months in bog oak-charred casks, after being aged in Sherry wine casks for a time. The mash bill is 100% malted barley, and alcohol by volume is 43%. Bottles are available nationwide, and cost between $40 – $45.
Appearance:
Color is really light. Viscosity is thin, and leaves virtually no legs.
Nose:
The aroma is slightly smoky, with bitter notes of charred leather. There are lots of earthy tones: grass, tree bark, and fresh, wet dirt. I’ve been hiking through an actual Irish bog, and it pretty much smells like that.
Palate:
There’s not a lot going on flavor-wise. The simple, straightforward flavor profile feels incomplete: a sentence with no period. It starts off with more earthy notes, a slightly sweet vanilla flavor, with lots of charred oak on the finish. The smoke flavor lingers on the palate and leaves me feeling like I just smoked a cigarette. There are light notes of raisin sweetness in the center of it all. Ultimately, I’m left unsatisfied, wishing there was some overarching flavor that would bring cohesiveness.
Finish:
Comments:
It’s pretty cool that West Cork Distillery is experimenting with charring techniques to create new flavors. I wish that the idea was backed up by a really amazing flavor experience, but maybe I’m just missing something. I thought their Glengarriff Series Bog Oak Cask whiskey was a little off-balance, but I liked the uniqueness of all the earthy flavors. I just think that all those stand-alone flavors could have been a little more composed.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Shauna McKnight

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