Barr an Uisce Redcross 1803 22 yr

Barr an Uisce takes its name from the Irish for "above the water," a nod to Barraniskey, the County Wicklow townland where founder Ian Jones grew up. Jones comes from the nearby village of Redcross, a former coaching stop on the road from southern Ireland to Dublin that grew into a gathering place for local news, music, and conversation. The brand's logo is drawn from the copper-colored cross that still stands in the Redcross graveyard, marking the site of St. Patrick's Church, built in 1803 for parishioners displaced by the era's penal laws, an event that lends the 1803 range its name.

The Redcross 1803 22 Year Old is a single malt Irish whiskey matured entirely in first-fill Kentucky bourbon barrels for more than two decades, with no secondary cask finish to mask the long interplay between spirit and wood. That extended, uninterrupted maturation is meant to let the whiskey develop its character purely through time in barrel, rather than through additional cask treatments. The whiskey is cut using fresh water drawn from the Jones family well in Redcross, and bottled at 46% ABV as part of Barr an Uisce's limited-edition single malt lineup.

Expect a deep amber color and a nose of dried orchard fruit and toasted oak spice, developing into a full, warming palate where wood-driven vanilla and baking spice sit alongside a lingering grain sweetness. The finish is long and structured, carrying the mellow character built up over its many years in cask. Given its depth and proof, it suits a simple whiskey neat or on the rocks, and its oak-forward profile also makes a fine base for a classic Old Fashioned.