Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Oak Finish
Glendalough · Glendalough Distillery
The mizunara oak finish transforms what would already be a solid aged Irish single malt into something genuinely distinctive. Mizunara is notoriously difficult to work with — it leaks, it warps — and Glendalough's decision to use it as a finishing wood rather than primary maturation was smart. The result is a whiskey that bridges Irish approachability with Japanese aesthetic restraint.
Nose
Delicate peach and honey lead, with a distinctive sandalwood-like woodiness from the mizunara finish. Vanilla and a faint floral rosewater note add elegance.
Palate
Silky texture carrying coconut and malt flavors, with clove spice and a gentle earthy quality from the Japanese oak. The mid-palate reveals butterscotch and a touch of almond.
Finish
Medium-long with lingering vanilla and woody incense-like character. A whisper of green herbs rounds it out.
- Distillation
- Triple distilled in copper pot stills
- Maturation
- Bourbon casks for 12 years, finished in Japanese mizunara oak for 1 year
- Single Pot Still
- No
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered
Food Pairing
Grilled miso-glazed salmon
Distilled at Glendalough Distillery in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland and finished in rare Japanese mizunara oak casks, this 13-year-old expression was crafted by a team of five friends who left careers in Dublin to start a distillery in a monastic valley.
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