Irish

High n' Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey

$79.99

OVERALL
RATING

Whiskey Review: High n’ Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
May 9, 2024

Tasting Notes:

About:

Single Grain Irish Whiskey, distilled from a mash bill of 95% French maize (corn) and 5% malted barley. First, it matured in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for six months in casks that previously held “Mark X 2007” Barbados Rum from Foursquare Rum. Bottled at 100 proof and priced at $79.99.

Appearance:

The used barrel element of this expression is distinctly apparent in the glass, reflecting a very lightly golden color reminiscent of sun rays. The viscosity and leg structure are of respectable quality.

Nose:

The very corn-forward aspect of this whiskey on the nose is tempered somewhat by a subtle rum consideration that dials down the sweetness one might expect otherwise. Aromatics here to take note of include a mild vanilla, tropical floral hints, understated oak, melted butter, and a chilled backdrop of Kellog’s Corn Flakes.

Palate:

Whereas the nose was subdued on the sweetness, the palate is all in on that, with the 95% French maize aspect of this whiskey and its accompanying sweetness really highlighted by the Foursquare rum cask finishing. Considerations here include sticky toffee pudding, caramel pecan pie, a little nudge of Caribbean spices, brown sugar, vanilla, a kiss of oak, and a wee banana thing going on.

Finish:

This finishes simply and easily, with a bit of sweetness fading on the back throat in short order.

Comments:

High n’ Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey goes some interesting directions with its varied flavors, though primarily, one can see this as an after-dinner whiskey. It holds pretty well across the board, and it’s worth tracking down a bottle if you can for the novel aspect, if nothing else.

High n' Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey review — We review High n’ Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey, finished for six months in casks that previously held Foursquare Mark X 2007 Barbados Rum. (image via High n’ Wicked)

Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.

High n’ Wicked is one of the myriad of brands scattered across the United States attempting to do something rather unique to stand out in the crowd. In this case, they are an importer and specialty bottler across the whiskey spectrum founded in 2019 by two former Brown-Forman senior executives, W. L. Lyons Brown, III, and Kevin E. Sachs.

Though focused primarily on year-round Kentucky bourbon and rye offerings, High n’ Wicked also offers singular limited releases several times annually, which are specialty bottlings of some more one-off domestic and global whiskeys. These “treasures,” as they call them, feature single barrels and double wood finishes that, to date, have included eight distinct American and Irish whiskey releases such as American Bourbon, Single Malt Irish whiskey, and Single Grain Irish Whiskey.

What’s in the bottle

The release covered in this review is one of those more unique offerings, the High n’ Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey. As the name of this whiskey implies, what you have here is a Single Grain Irish Whiskey, distilled initially on a Coffey Column Still in County Cork, Ireland, that features a mash bill of 95% French maize (corn) and 5% malted barley.

The whiskey was first matured in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for six months in casks that previously held “Mark X 2007” Barbados Rum from Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados. It was put together in collaboration with Richard Seale of Foursquare Rum and Noel Sweeney, former Master Distiller/Master Blender of Cooley, who selected, finished, and blended it.

“We got the Dream Team for this one,” said Brown when this whiskey debuted. “Foursquare has risen to the pinnacle of the rum world and is quickly becoming a global icon in spirits. We expect to work with Richard on additional releases in the future.”

High n’ Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007 Cask Finished Single Grain Irish Whiskey is bottled at 100 proof and priced at $79.99.

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Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y on a global level. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert and judge he has written about the subject extensively, been interviewed in various media outlets and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions. He also maintains a large private collection of whiskey from which he continually educates his palate on this brown spirit type.

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