West Cork Black Reserve

** This review transferred from the Barreled app. I bought 2 limited release Irish whiskies back at the end of the summer through Virginia's rare & limited release online program and finally decided to open the first one tonight: West Cork Black Reserve. It's a NAS Irish grain and malt blended whiskey that was finished for 6 months in double charred, first fill American bourbon barrels. It comes in at 86 proof and was limited to 4,800 total bottles. It was a very reasonable $40 online. First of all, I've got to applaud the fact this is whiskey produced by one of only two privately owned Irish distilleries. Score one for the little guy. The bearded hipster in me loves to support an underdog, lol. Anyway... It's a dark and rich, dirty copper in the glass and that leads me to believe it isn't as young as I expected. Double charred or not, it can't get this much color without spending a respectable amount of time in the oak. Giving it a spin unleashes a nice blast of oak, cinnamon and pepper on the nose. On the tongue, it's a delicious homage to American bourbon: big oak, pepper and a nice vanilla sweetness. It's incredibly smooth with a Scotch-like oily finish that hangs around for quite awhile. It's very solid when sipped neat and I have a feeling it would be good as a mixer with Coke, as well. The fact it's rather limited probably keeps it off of a lot of liquor store shelves and that's a shame. It's better than most run of the mill American bourbons and it's actually my favorite Irish whiskey to date. If you guys can find it, especially on the cheap, pick up a bottle and support the little guys doing big things over there in Ireland. The hipster in you would be proud haha. 4 stars. Cheers.

Nose: Spices and fruits, mainly apples and pears, maybe some cherry. Some vanilla and honey. Some sweet bread/cookies coming through. Oak notes are strong with some light smoke. Palate: Smoothness of vanilla and sweetness of dried fruits. Honey comes in waves. The oakiness of the barrel is stronger on the nose than the palate but it’s certainly there. Pleasant! Finish: Medium-long. Very smooth sweetness towards the end and the honey stays the strongest. Overall Thoughts: A friend gave me a glass today after I helped them move. This was very pleasant from beginning to end. It’s my first experience with West Cork distillers and I’m hooked. It’s delightfully flavorsome and is not rough by any means. A very smooth and enticing whiskey!

This is my current favorite Irish whiskey. Neat, it has a charming vanilla sweetness that doesn't break, and enchanting smoke note appears through the bloom, and this really caught me because it is smokey but not peaty, not ashy. Really enjoyed this neat and personally would not mix with it. If neat's not your thing, it can take 1/4-1/2 water without losing much of the smoke, but the vanilla and sweetness are slightly less forward in that stuation.

Bourbon influence is there, molasses and vanilla with a bit of fruity acidity, and a hint of lingering char. Fairly thin, and not terribly complex.

Starts out light, as irish whiskey should/would, then the bourbon finish comes next. It's a little more bourbon than I had hoped.

Nose: phenolic with notes of marshmallow and vanilla. Palate: Toasty vanilla and cream. Finish: Smooth and toasted marshmallow.