Two Stacks Double Barrel Single Malt (43%)

I’m meeting with one of the founders of Two Stacks Irish Whiskey later on today, so perhaps this post is a tad premature, but St. Patrick’s Day approaches and it’s time to get some Irish content on the site.

Two Stacks is not a distillery, but rather a whiskey blender. According to the distillery website:

”Two Stacks was inspired by the traditions of old and contemporary brands of new. Opening one of Ireland’s only independent bonding & blending facilities in 2022, with the ambition to combine these worlds together.”

What that means is that the company sources whiskeys in the barrel from multiple distilleries, then ages and blends them to create their own unique expressions. This was once fairly common practice in the old world, where store brand whiskeys were not unknown, but is less practiced today – or at least less practiced with the sort of transparency Two Stacks espouses.

As one might guess, the double barrels in the name of this whiskey are ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. As for the malt whiskeys involved in its creation, there are more details below, but the use of the term ‘single malt’ implies that they all hail from the same distillery.

My admittedly limited experience with Irish single malts finds them to be generally on the lighter end of the flavour range, sort of how we used to think of Lowland Scottish single malts, as opposed to their Highland cousins. And the very pale colour of this whiskey does little to dispel that impression.

Then again, Kilchoman single malts from the Scottish island of Islay also tend to be quite pale, and they are anything but reticent. So let’s not judge a whiskey by its cover, then.

The aroma of Two Stacks suggests that appearances are, indeed, deceiving, with marmalade notes immediately apparent, followed by smoke, honey, raisins, and dried cherries. Wait, did I just type smoke? Yes, indeed, as a closer look at the whiskey’s label – I’m notorious for ignoring obvious label information – reveals that this is a blend of 10% peated malt aged in bourbon oak, 50% triple distilled malt aged in Oloroso sherry oak, and 40% double distilled malt aged in bourbon barrels.

The palate entry speaks largely to the sherry oak component, with bright clementine and raisin sweetness accompanied by a touch of bourbon barrel vanilla. As the taste progresses, a medley of flavours join the queue: candied almond, hints of nougat, orange zest, Medjool date, and smoky chocolate. On the finish the smoke rises to the fore, reminding you of what you noticed in the aroma but had forgotten during the full and entrancing mid-palate, and lingers alongside hints of toasted vanilla and walnut.

Like many, indeed perhaps most Irish single malts available in Canada, this presents outstanding value in a highly accomplished whiskey. For a single malt aficionado to not partake simply because it’s Irish would indeed be a most unfortunate oversight.

92 ($64) VALUE PICK