Knappogue Castle 14yo Twin Wood Tasting Notes

	Knappogue Castle 14yo Twin Wood Tasting Notes
	Knappogue Castle (sourced from Old Bushmills Distillery & Cooley Distillery)
	Single Malt Irish Whiskey
	46%

 

Tasting note compiled by Chris Hennessy.

 

Introduction

In 1966, Mark Edwin Andrews purchased Knappogue Castle, a 15th century castle, then in ruins. Mark and his wife Lavone embarked on a long restoration to return the castle to its former grandeur. During the restoration and his travels through Ireland sourcing furniture for the castle Mark happened upon a number of Irish whiskey casks left over from the old Tullamore distillery of B. Daly, famously, the home of Tullamore D.E.W., which had closed its gates in 1954, leaving a number of barrels of their single pot still whiskey up for grabs. 

These were famously brought to the castle where they were further aged until bottled in 1987 under the Knappogue Castle brand name in 1987. The last of these casks yielded the famous Knappogue Castle 1951 – a 36 year old single pot still whiskey aged in sherry casks beneath the castle.

Today, the Knappogue Castle name lives on as part of the Irish Distillers family of Irish whiskeys with the single malts used in the bottlings having been sourced from the Old Bushmills Distillery and Cooley Distillery variously over the past 20+ years. 

Knappogue Castle 14 year old “Twin Wood” is the result of a marriage of 14 year old single malts aged in two types of wood: bourbon barrels made from American oak and Oloroso sherry casks made from European oak. It is non-chill filtered and bottled at 92 proof in limited quantities.

 

Color

Barley kernel

 

Nose (Aromas)

Ripe peach flesh meets honey soaked apricot kernels, soft vanilla throughout.

 

Palate & Finish 

Crisp like a vibrant white wine, coincides with maltiness, sweet green apple skins & an ever present citrus tone. Whilst the sherry wood evokes salted dark chocolate, dried cranberries & a herbaceous astringency that heightens the bourbon cask’s influence.

 

Verdict

Bursting with bourbon influences whilst leaning softly towards the oloroso, this Knappogue in particular is quite difficult to put back on the shelf. As the level drops with each satisfying sip, it’s obvious to see why the brand continues to be a staple for bar tops, homes & whiskey glasses.

 

 

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