Review #926 - Two Stacks Single Malt - Double Barrel
Two Stacks is one of the new-age bonders in the Irish whisky market; the resurgence of the Irish whisky industry in the past 15 years has seen many new distilleries established, but also some independent bottlers like this company. They source whiskey from several distilleries - this specific example comes from Great Northern distillery in County Louth.
This is a single malt, so it's all malt whiskey from one distillery, but it's actually a blend of 3 different types of distillate:
50% of the blend is triple distilled malt, aged in Oloroso sherry casks
40% of the blend is double distilled malt, aged in bourbon casks
The final 10% of the blend is peated malt, aged in bourbon casks - it doesn't specify if this is double or triple distilled spirit
So a light hint of peat smoke in this single malt, and a 50/50 mix of ex-bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry casks - this is looking like it could be a nice, balanced whisky. The bottling strength is a little lower than we prefer at 43% ABV... we'll see how that affects the experience as well.
Two Stacks Single Malt - Double Barrel
Ireland - Single Malt
Price: USD 55 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 43% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 years; bottles at 70% and 50% fill levels at times of review, and tasted once (blind) from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Loads of apple - it was prominent in all of our tastings. Sweet golden apple, sour green apple, also pears and peaches, so lots of orchard fruits in general. Honey, granola, musty wet hay, and soft charcoal build; it can be a little spirity and young, and we get a wisp of smoke and dry hay too.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thin. Softer texture, with a bit of fizzy white pepper and sweet orchard fruits like pears, apples, oranges, and lemons. There is a soft peat note in there, as we get some sharpness from youth and a bit of creamy grain. Pastries, tart nectarine, oatmeal, juicy mango, and peach pop up at times.
Finish: Vanilla, mild smoke, pepper and grain - a little light and sharp. Honey drizzled oats, lemons, and a hint of charcoal build; it's pleasant and a little mild. This finish has a medium length.
Final Note: This whisky is pleasant enough, but the flavors are a bit middle-of-the-road, and due to that lower bottling strength, they aren't presented which much intensity compared to other single malts. There are a lot of mainstream ex-bourbon maturation flavors with the light fruits and citrus, as well as the cereal notes; we found the sherry influence to be more subtle, adding just a bit of orange and spice. We did enjoy the hint of peat, which was also subtle, but ever-present - that added an interesting dimension.
Value-wise, we think this is fine: it's a relatively plain single malt, but the price is also somewhat reasonable around $50. For us, this is a solid beginner Irish single malt, but as we get further into our whisky journey, we're looking for a bit more complexity and heft.
Our Rating: 5.9 / 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: 6.00
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.
