Two Stacks Dram In A Can Irish Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

If you’re anything like me, the first thing you think is, Hey, that’s whiskey in a can. The second thing to come to mind should be, Never judge a book by its cover. Mind you, I’ve not yet tasted what’s inside this can; it is just the whole #DrinkCurious mindset at work. I’ll get to tasting this in a few moments.

 

Dram In A Can is what Two Stacks calls this package. When I was in Denver a few weeks ago, this was amongst the 50ml spirits bottles (although the can happens to be 100ml). If you’ve never heard of Two Stacks before, don’t worry; neither have I.

 

Two Stacks is a whiskey brand founded in 2020 by Shane McCarthy, Liam Brogan, and Donal McLynn as one of only a handful of independent bonding and blending facilities in Ireland.

 

“Our unique approach to working with some of Ireland's leading distilleries; selecting the finest spirit distilled across the Island allows us to create incredible expressions of whiskey never crafted nor tasted before. We continue to build our reputation on top of three key fundamentals and to help shape the future in Irish whiskey: Transparency, Creativity, and Innovation.” – Two Stacks

 

There are two versions of Dram In A Can: a single malt and a blend. Today I’m sampling the latter. Two Stacks suggests this is made from grain, malt, and pot still whiskeys. The combination is non-chill filtered and naturally colored. The makeup of it is as follows:

 

• 40% dark grain aged in virgin oak
• 40% light grain aged in Bourbon barrels
• 8% pot still aged in Oloroso sherry casks
• 10% double malt aged in Bourbon barrels
• 2% peated malt aged in Bourbon barrels

 

The transparency is fantastic. What really excites me is the 2% peated malt because while that’s commonplace in Scotch, it is damned unusual for Irish whiskey.

 

Dram In A Can is bottled… er… canned in Minneapolis at 43% ABV (86°). I paid $4.99 for it. Retail packages are in four-packs. For the record, Two Stacks also sells its whiskey in standard 750ml bottles. Now that you’ve got the background of everything let’s crack this baby open and explore what’s inside.

 

Appearance: I poured the contents of the can into my Glencairn glass. The liquid inside was a brilliant gold. Remember, this has no added E150a coloring. A thin rim released a wide curtain that fell back into the pool.

 

Nose: Apples, pears, vanilla, honey, and apricots formed a sweet, fruity nose. A whiff of nuts was also found. When I inhaled the vapor through my lips, vanilla, and apricot rolled past my tongue. There was no evidence whatsoever of smoke or peat.

 

Palate: I discovered a creamy, full-bodied mouthfeel, and the front of my palate encountered raw honey, coconut, and dried apricot. The middle offered vanilla cream and cinnamon apples, while almond, oak, and white pepper flavors were on the back.

 

Finish: Oh… this is where the peat came into play. But, it wasn’t overwhelming, and, in fact, you’d probably miss it if you weren’t prepared for a peat note somewhere. It added a soft, smoky quality, which naturally married the tastes of apple, apricot, honey, oak, and white pepper. The whole experience lasted a medium-to-long duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Don’t judge a book by its cover. I said that at the beginning of this review. I admit I giggled with curiosity when I first saw this in the store. I hadn’t planned on being impressed, but dang, I am. I smiled. I told Mrs. Whiskeyfellow how much I was enjoying this pour. That, my friends, means it takes my Bottle (Can?) rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.