This week I am reviewing three different releases from Walsh Whiskey’s Writers’ Tears label. The week got off to a decent start yesterday with the Copper Pot, their entry-level blend. Today I have for you a review of the Double Oak, which joined their core range a few years ago. It is so-called because it is a blend of spirit matured in American oak and French oak casks. What the proportion of the two in the blend is, I don’t know (I am assuming that it’s not all double-matured in the two cask types). Like in the Copper Pot, the spirit that goes into this is triple-distilled and is a blend of single pot still and single malt Irish whiskey. It gets a step-up in abv from the Copper Pot, being bottled at 46%. As with the Copper Pot, there is no indication of age. It’s probably safe to assume we’re not dealing with an abundance of age here. Okay, let’s see what it’s like.

Writers’ Tears, Double Oak (46%; from a miniature)

Nose: Orange peel, vanilla, polished oak. On the second sniff there’s some apricot and the vanilla moves in the direction of butterscotch. Not much change with time. A drop or two of water and there’s more citrus at first and then a metallic note.

Palate: Comes in as indicated by the nose with more of the citrus as I swallow. A decent bite at 46% and good texture. Some grapey sweetness on the second sip. The oak expands with each sip—more spice emerges at first and then a slight bitterness. Less bitter with water but that metallic note shows up here as well and the spicy notes expand.

Finish: Medium-long. The citrus yields quickly to mildly spicy oak. Gets bitter here as well with time. As on the palate with water.

Comments: After the first few sniffs and sips I though this might be headed to the mid-80s but the oak got a bit too strong with time. Still, this is a solid blend and a clear step up from the Copper Pot. Alright, on to the Cask Strength (and back to Minnesota)!

Rating: 82 points.