Hello & welcome to another Irish Whiskey review on my site. How are we doing? I hope everyone had a great start to 2025 and that you are all re-charged for the upcoming year. Today we are taking a look at a 5 years old whiskey from the Hinch Distillery. Let's get into it.

Irish Whiskey renaissance

Ireland was once the capital of whiskey. At a point in the 19th century, it had 88 licensed distilleries and countless more illicit producers. The largest distilleries in the world were in Dublin. The largest pot still was at the Midleton Distillery, Cork. Irish whiskey was drunk all over the world and had a reputation comparable to Champagne and Cognac. !!!It even outsold Scotch whisky in Scotland!!!

By 1980, just two distilleries were operating: Bushmills and Midleton. Irish whiskey went from a world leader to a niche product.

We are currently in the midst of the Irish whiskey renaissance. A period of extraordinary revival and growth for an industry that once teetered on the brink of extinction. This resurgence, beginning in the late 20th century and accelerating into the 21st, has been fuelled by several key factors, restoring Irish whiskey as a globally acclaimed spirit. 

We need to go back to 1966. A decision was made to pool resources, expertise, and brands into one company, one that could streamline operations, reduce costs, and enable a stronger negotiating position in both domestic and international markets. Cork Distilleries Company, John Jameson & Son, and John Power & Son took the radical decision to merge into Irish Distillers. It was a collaboration that saved the category from collapse.

By 1975, they had modernised the Midleton Distillery, producing a range of whiskies including the world-famous Jameson, while setting the foundations for a greater future, for example by committing to quality casks. It also kept the lights on at Bushmills, an old and proud name that would have been a travesty to lose, and maintained the creation of Ireland's signature style, single pot still whiskey.

Irish Distillers were, for a time, the pillar on which all Irish whiskey stood. The company did a great amount to preserve the industry and to lay the groundwork for the future. However, Irish whiskey was a monopoly, and that's never a sustainable solution. Bushmills remained part of Irish Distillers until Diageo bought it in 2005 (who, in turn, sold it to Proximo in 2014). That's where John Teeling comes in. He founded Cooley Distillery in 1987, converting a potato alcohol plant into a two-column still distillery and then reviving brands like Kilbeggan. In 2011, he sold the operation to Beam Inc (later Beam Suntory) for US$95m, but by that time the Irish whiskey industry was unrecognisable. Irish whiskey needed a new name to breathe new life into the industry and Teeling proved particularly adept at doing that.

In 2013, Ireland still only had only four distilleries but distilleries began popping up like dandelions. Teeling became the first new distillery in Dublin in over 125 years when it opened in 2015. And so on it goes. By 2025 there are over 30 distilleries in Ireland! That is just amazing.

About Hinch Distillery

Hinch Distillery, founded by Dr. Terry Cross, a businessman from Belfast. Cross sold his Delta Print and Packaging firm for around £50 million but rather than retiring, he decided to invest some of his wealth into a new whiskey distillery. Named after the nearby town of Ballynahinch, south of Belfast, the distillery is situated in the grounds of the Killaney Estate.

Construction began in 2019 with an initial launch date planned for April 2020. Of course, many such plans were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and the project ground to a halt whilst the country went on lockdown. Work was able to resume in July but any possibility of a public opening remained on hold. Since then, the distillery commenced production and their shop was able to open for a few weeks in the run up to Christmas, giving locals a first peak at a visitor centre that will include a coffee shop, restaurant, pub and events space. For the occasion, a special 18 year old whiskey was released, sourced from another Irish distillery, that had been finished in wine casks from Dr. Cross' other passion project – the Chateau de la Ligne vineyard in Bordeaux.

They released a 3 yo peated single malt in 2024 as their first release. It can only be bought on-site at the distillery. However most of their other stuff is still sourced from other distilleries.

The most affordable of the current age stated offerings is the 5 year old "Double Wood" which is a combination of both malt and grain whiskies, matured initially in bourbon barrels before a 12 month finishing period in virgin oak casks. Bottled at 43% it retails for just 40 euros a bottle.

Hinch 5 yo Double Wood - Natural Color(?) , Non-chill filtered(?), 43%

"Our 5 Year Old Double Wood is a premium blend of Single Malt and Single Grain whiskeys with the contemporary twist of Virgin Oak cask aging.

Matured for a minimum of 4 years in the finest first fill bourbon casks followed by a further 1 year in Virgin Oak casks. Hinch 5 Year Old Double Wood is golden brown in appearance with distinct and intense citrus fruit on the nose, big spice and mocha notes on the palate are matched with a balanced fruit undercurrent. Bold, innovative, contemporary Irish whiskey proudly made in County Down."

Nose: Ok. At first it ain't that pleasant. There is a hint of nail remover. However I think that after letting it sit for a few minutes in the glass and leaving the bottle open it oxidizes a bit and gets very nice and pleasant. This is perhaps the most extreme case of a "bottle shock" I have ever experienced. Now let's see. The harsh notes evaporated and now only sweetness remains. Vanilla ice cream and cereals. Toast and butter. Digestive bicuits. A nice malty base with citrus fruits and toffee. A hint of oak and spice coming from the virgin oak cask. Great. Not complex. Rather sweet and pleasant, just as an Irish Whiskey is supposed to be.

Taste: Peppery sensation. Mint. Orchard fruits. Green apples, pears and juicy apricots. Orange and citrus peel. Vannila and toffee. Spices such as cinnamon and cardamom. Smooth but spicy at the same time. A hint of toasted oak, digestive biscuits and maltiness. Honey. The taste is miles better than the nose. I am very happy about it. I expected less but I got more. One of the best feelings there is.

Finish: I would say that it is a medium finish. Leaves with spices and pepper. Espresso. Toasted oak and vanilla custard. Honeyed oranges and peaches. There is a certain warmth left in the mouth. Great.

Ok so overall I think it is a good whiskey. As I stated before, it has to be aired first to remove the unpleasant notes from it. After that it is very truly nice. The virgin oak maturation for a full 12 months gives it a nice spice and oaky twist which I like a lot. I also like that there are a ton of orchard fruit notes in Irish whiskey. I especially love peaches. When it comes to points, I am going to give it a solid 6.3/10. I think it is a great expression and I am keen to try a lot more from Hinch. Buy it, try it. Drink responsibly.

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Check out the points on all the whiskies I've rated and ranked head-to-head over HERE.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.