Review #553 - Fercullen 21 Year (2022 Release)
The Powerscourt Distillery, based in County Wicklow, is producing their own spirit now, especially single malt. They release some older whiskies - single malts aged 16 and 21 years, as well as a single grain aged 15 years - but considering the distillery's founding year of 2018, we know these older releases to be sourced. This 21 Year Old single malt that we're reviewing today was sourced from Cooley, one of the older Irish distilleries still in existence.
Because of the release year, we can surmise that this 21 year single malt was distilled at Cooley right around the turn of the millennium; it spent those 21 years maturing predominantly in ex-bourbon barrels. A portion of the spirit, however, was re-racked into sherry casks, both Oloroso and PX; the resulting whisky should have a moderated sherry influence, but still display quite a bit of the typical ex-bourbon flavor profile. After the aging time, this single malt is bottled under Powerscourt's 'Fercullen' brand at 46% ABV.
Fercullen 21 Year (2022 Release)
Ireland - Single Malt
Price: USD 195 (2025)
Age Statement: 21 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, finished in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; batch 1, bottled 2022
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times (twice blind) over 16 months. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A little bit musty or mulchy, with some old perfumed oak; after that, lots of fruits arrive. Clementine oranges, soft tropical fruits like mango, sugary canned peaches; there's an estery, almost floral side, and then sour green apple candy and citrus. The wood takes on a sawdust character later; we get an accent note of creamy custard.
Palate: Oak, with some caramel and white pepper - nice baking notes. There's fruit, too: white grape, tart lemon candies, lemonade; fresh grain flavor mixes with perfumed oak and vanilla. There's a buttery side to the oak; this is nicely balanced, with a medium mouthfeel.
Finish: Tannins build in strength from the oak, and we get some cinnamon spice, too; lemon and malty grain continue from the end of the palate. There's a hint of tangy tangerine later, and subtle vanilla; it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This is a nice higher-age-statement Irish whisky; the ex-bourbon maturation definitely seemed to be the focus, with the sherry influence just adding subtle orange fruits for us. Lots of light, bright fruits and vanilla, and the whole experience was nicely rounded and balanced; nothing about it was too daring.
Value is just okay; this is an expensive whisky, but for this age statement in the realm of Irish whisky, it's one of the more reasonable options out there.
Our Average Rating: 7.6 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.23
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Fercullen reviews:
Review #474 - Fercullen 4 Year Marsala Single Cask - SNUG First Anniversary Pick
