W.D. O'Connell 5 Year Old Amontillado Sherry Cask (70cl, 50%)

An Irish single malt distilled in 2018 at the Great Northern Distillery in Dundalk, County Louth. It spent four years in ex-bourbon casks before Daithí O'Connell moved it into Amontillado sherry casks in April 2022, where it matured for about another year. It opens W.D. O'Connell's sherry series, which looks at how different sherry casks shape malt and pot still whiskeys. The whiskey is bottled at 50%, non-chill-filtered and without added colouring. Honey sweetness and citrus come through on the nose, with some nuttiness and a light touch of peat. The palate shows vanilla and toffee alongside dried fruit and toasted wood. The finish is long and warming.