Two Stacks Irish Whiskey recently announced the release of their inaugural “Pillars of Creation” expression which married whiskeys from Dingle Distillery, The Echlinville Distillery and Killowen Distillery, the first time three of the new guard of Irish whiskey distilleries have been brought together in a whiskey. The type of cask that the blend was further matured in, an ex-Cream Sherry butt, was of particular interest as it hasn’t made much of an appearance in Irish whiskey to date, despite its historic Irish connections.

There would be very few households in Ireland in the twentieth century that didn’t stock a bottle of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry, its distinctive blue livery standing out among the Paddy’s, Powers and Cork Dry Gin bottles on shelves the length and breadth of the country.

Cream sherry is a type of fortified wine known for its sweet taste and smooth, creamy texture. It is made by blending different styles of sherry, such as Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez, and then sweetening the blend with grape must or other sweetening agents. The resulting wine has a rich, caramel-like flavor with notes of dried fruits, nuts, and sometimes spices.