Clonakilty

Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Ireland’s southwest coast, Clonakilty is a relatively new Irish whiskey distillery with big ambitions. It was founded by the Scully family in 2016 and is located on the southernmost tip of County Cork. 

Owing to its geography, whiskies here have a distinct maritime character. Maturation takes place just 200ft above the sea, in casks including bourbon, sherry, rum and red wine. The coastal air imparts an added depth of salt, which marries superbly with the distillery’s vanilla, spice and soft fruit profile. 

The entry-level bottling is the Galley Head, a combination of pot still and Irish grain whiskey, that’s named after the nearby coastline. The flagship expression from the Cask Finish Series is the Double Oak, with other releases from the range including the Clonakilty Port Cask, which uses barrels from the Douro Valley.