Review of West Cork Original Classic Blend

Here’s another review in my series on value blends some of which can be outstanding, and some not so much. The West Cork Distillery is a new (opened in 2003 as an experimental “pet project” and then expanded to its current location in 2013) and actually independent Irish distiller, unlike the previous poster-child for Irish (whiskey) independence, Cooley, which sold to Beam Suntory in 2011. Among other things, West Cork bottles this blend and a 10 year-old Irish Single Malt.

The Original Classic Blend is your pretty standard Irish blended whiskey: a blend of single-malt and grain whiskey aged for an unpublished (read: very short) amount of time in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at the baseline of 40% ABV. While it’s quite easy on the wallet at around $27 a bottle, I should point out that you can get other, better blends for less.

Nose: Very light, but with a piercing acetone note. Hay, lemon, vodka, and not much else.

Palate: Thick, syrupy body. Quite hot at first, which recedes to reveal cashew butter, chewy nougat, and salt-water taffy (vanilla).

Finish: Medium-short. Malty, with a hint of milk chocolate and a reprise of the acetone/vodka from the nose, alas.

With Water: A few drops of water make this smell, if possible, more like whisky-tinged vodka. The water also thins the palate, adding nothing. Skip the water here.

Overall: Huh. On one hand, it’s light traditionally-styled Irish blended whiskey with a heavy basket full of nutty flavors to surprise the tongue. On the other hand, it has one of the least successful aromas of any whisky I’ve come across, a short finish, and is very hot on the tongue (some would call this “not smooth”). I can’t recommend it for anything, although when mixed into one of the few cocktails requiring Irish whiskey, you’ll likely not be able to tell the difference. How’s that for a ringing endorsement?