This was another new-to-me offering from West Cork. This one didn’t seem like there was a lot different going on from the other bottles availability at the festival. They offer a couple of 12 year old malts, so this isn’t even that remarkable as an age statement whiskey. There were some average cereal malt notes and a little more burn from the peppery casks notes. I doubt I’d buy a full bottle of this one, but I am glad I got to try it. Middle of the road from the guys at West Cork, I’d say, nothing more. Update 9/3/18: I ended up purchasing a bottle of this Irish whiskey locally about a month ago for the paltry sum of $32, so I thought I’d put it through its paces again to see if my initial feelings had changed. This was a little better than what I observed at Whiskyfest, but it’s still nothing more than a middle of the road 10 year old, Irish whiskey. To date, every West Cork I’ve tried seem to be more lively than all of their Irish brethren. The oak is more in your face here, and I’d say they more closely resemble American bourbon. In that argument, I prefer them over the Jameson’s and Redbreast’s. This whiskey could use a bit of a boost in flavor, but perhaps that’s because the time in the cask has prohibited it. I still have to say that it’s a solid 3.5 star whiskey on its own and a definite change of pace for an Irish. These guys also continue to be self-owned and distributed, so that’s also cool to help the little guy. If you see a bottle or two on your local shelf grab it and show them some love- you may just find out you love the change of pace they provide over other Irish whiskey. Cheers.