Northcross Triple Wood Irish Whiskey
Irish whiskey is a funny thing: it’s one of the few remaining categories where you can have both sought-after budget pours and want to know everything about the product before spending $20-$30 on a bottle.
New Jameson release? Gotta see the review. Same for Slane, Teeling, Bushmills, any number of products that fall under the banner and under a price point where usually you’re transitioning from a mixer to a sipper.
To differentiate themselves, brands within this range have branched out from the standard ex-bourbon barrel, adding in various sherry casks and virgin oak to give more flavor in a shorter (or similar) period of maturation. Leaning into one of these more than another is often the thing that separates one from another.
For Northcross, I’d argue the virgin oak is the biggest player in the final profile. The sherry cask adds a little dryness and fruitiness but stays far away from being a strong flavor, and the ex-bourbon brings a certain richness but not much beyond that. The virgin oak, on the other hand, is the real star.
Bouncing between the inherently fruity Irish whiskey and the new, charred oak gives a lovely sense of having a fire burning in the distance, its smoke just reaching your nose. The astringency is also up a tad, countering the fruitiness but also adding to the mouthfeel.
Overall, Northcross Irish Whiskey has a chance to take a quick lead in the category. It does everything it needs to do to stand out: competitive price, leaning into a differentiator (the virgin oak and dialing back the sherry), and providing a product that can be enjoyed as a sipper, a mixer, or (please no) a shot.
This has also won the 2023 Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. While I don’t normally put stock in awards (there’s a whole month of podcast episodes to do on why that’s the case), this one does fit, and I hope at minimum Northcross disrupts the category and injects some variety. And at $24.99, it won’t hurt your wallet to try it out.
This sample was graciously provided by Northcross at no cost. All opinions herein are my own.
Northcross Triple Wood Irish Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Irish Whiskey
Producer: Great Northern Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 86 (43% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Ireland
Northcross Triple Wood Irish Whiskey Price: $24.99
Northcross Triple Wood Irish Whiskey: Tasting Notes
Eye: Brewed green tea. Thin growing rims and large droplets hanging off.
Nose: Dark apple notes, cooked down to unsweetened applesauce. Smells a bit off of traditional Irish in that the bourbon cask isn’t smashing you over the head (it isn’t over-sherried, either, just more of a balance). Smokiness like a distant fire, maybe from barrel char?
Palate: Bourbon cask richness hits right away on the palate, unlike the nose, with just a little astringency. The virgin oak hits the throat with tannin and coconut - I think that’s the “different” flavor I was getting on the nose. Creamy Irish whiskey underneath, a bit overtaken by the cask flavors until the chew. The mouthfeel allows the fruity spirit to come though more with a mild pepper and whole-tongue coat.
Finish: Cooked apple comes back around, still drying from the virgin oak and buttery from the bourbon cask. Sherry peeks through on a medium-length finish.
Overall: Dials back the sherry cask influence and ups the virgin oak unlike many “triple wood” or multi-wood Irish blends in the price category such as Slane or Triple Dog. Some chocolaty notes round out a buttery finish and mid-palate. For the price and the age, punches well above its weight, doing enough to differentiate itself in the category to be worth a try.
Final Rating: 6.4
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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