Writers Tears Double Oak Irish Whiskey (46%)
Continuing our countdown to Valentine’s Day, Beaumont Drinks is happy to present this review of a stellar Irish whiskey well-suited to romance. If you’re in the Toronto area and want to find out more about this and a half-dozen other Irish whiskeys, mark your calendar on March 14 and join me for a tasting at Bar Hop on Peter Street. Tickets are now available and sure to go fast!
When speaking of spirits and romance, I believe that a predilection towards pairing with food is at least as important as is the disposition of the spirit, not to mention its presentation. In its statuesque bottle, and with its ease of partnering with one of the classic foods of seduction, I think that this very modern take on Irish whiskey stands both literally and figuratively tall.
The Writer’s Tears line is the product of Walsh Whiskey, which was founded by the husband and wife team of Bernard and Rosemary Walsh in 1999. Originally producing Hot Irishman, a packaged whiskey drink made with sourced spirit, the duo launched The Irishman whiskey in 2007 and Writer’s Tears in 2010, still using bulk-purchased whiskey from Irish Distillers. A distillery of their own followed in 2016, but has since been sold, as has Walsh Whiskey itself, which joined the Amber Beverage Group in late 2021. Another new distillery in County Carlow is expected to begin production of the whiskeys in 2026.
The ‘Double Oak’ in the case of this expression references the Cognac barrels used for finishing after the whiskey’s initial maturation in bourbon wood. The resulting spirit is a slightly deeper gold in colour than is the regular Writer’s Tears Copper Pot – itself a very fine whiskey with flavours of stone fruit and wild flower honey – with an aroma that boasts notes of baking spices and both fresh and stewed pear.
On the palate, this is both richer and rounder than the Copper Pot, with initial notes of milk chocolate and apricot leading to a mid-palate of darker chocolate and lemon, with touches of raw cacao, orange zest, and buckwheat honey, finishing with a touch of oaky vanilla and a lengthy and dry, faintly peppery spice.
If you can find them, I’d pair this for Valentine’s Day both deliciously and romantically with Irish Galway Flat oysters, Belons from France, or more domestically, Maine Belons. But if all you can muster are fresh Canadian Malpeques, which are in terrific form this time of year, well, those will also perform quite marvellously.
93 ($70 - $90)