Glendalough Calvados XO Cask Finish Single Cask Irish Whiskey (700 ml)

Founded in 2011 by five partners in the shadow of the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough was built on a deliberate transgression: where the major Irish houses leaned on ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry alone, this distillery began experimenting with finishing casks that had no precedent in the Irish whiskey canon. The Calvados XO Cask Finish Single Cask expression is one such departure — a single grain whiskey finished in casks that previously held aged Calvados XO, layering Norman apple-brandy character over the base spirit's grain-sweet core.

The distillery draws process water from Wicklow Mountain springs, approximately 40 km south of Dublin on Ireland's east coast. The mild maritime climate of this eastern valley moderates maturation rates, preserving delicate grain character through the aging cycle. Base spirit is Coffey (column) still distilled from a mash bill of Irish malted barley and corn — continuous distillation yielding a lighter, fruit-forward new make that enters cask at 62.5% ABV. The Calvados XO cask finish imparts dried apple, pear eau-de-vie, and oxidative orchard-fruit complexity that the house's standard Oloroso finish does not. As a single cask bottling, this is unrepeatable — no blending across casks, no averaging of character.

The drinking window is open now; single grain Irish whiskey at this profile is approachable on release and does not require further cellaring.