Four Walls Irish-American Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, and Charlie Day founded Four Walls Irish American Whiskey. Do their names sound familiar? They are if you’re a fan of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or the It’s Always Sunny Podcast. The trio created their own whiskey brand and named it Four Walls as a tribute to their favorite hangout – the bar. The brand came to life in 2022.

 

“We call it The Better Brown because, well, it’s the best-tasting whiskey we’ve ever had, and, to be honest, we can’t believe we, as drinkers, all of us, have taken this long to put these two things together. Easy to drink, triple-distilled Irish whiskey is brought to life with a touch of American Rye, making it the perfect drink for all moments, big and small, for Saturday nights and Tuesday afternoons, for shots and cocktails. So add it to the list of big ideas that come out of a bar.” – Four Walls Irish American Whiskey

 

Four Walls suggests it uses hand-selected malt and grain Irish whiskey barrels and blends those with an American Rye. One of the things I appreciate from brands is transparency, and Four Walls is open about who makes the whiskey inside the bottle. The Irish portion comes from Great Northern Distillery, and the American Rye comes from Cedar Ridge Distillery.

 

For the record, I’ve been relatively unimpressed with other attempts to marry American and Irish whiskeys. But we’ll keep an open mind – after all, that’s the #DrinkCurious way.

 

Four Walls is an easily affordable option for most; a 750ml, 40% ABV (80°) bottle has a suggested price of $36.99. Its opening market is New York, California, Florida, and Pennsylvania, and it can also be ordered directly from the Four Walls website.

 

How’d this creative troupe do? We’ll find out momentarily. First, I must thank Four Walls for sending me a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass and drank it neat. Inside, it appeared as a brilliant golden liquid. The bold rim released a plethora of thick legs that raced back to the pool of liquid sunshine.

 

Nose: The malted Irish whiskey was the most substantial element in my olfactory sense. There were lots of citrusy smells: lemon, lime, and grapefruit. Vanilla and honey were also present. In fact, if I was unaware there was an American Rye component, I’d tell you this was an Irish whiskey. I encountered grapefruit and oak when I pulled the air through my lips.

 

Palate: Four Walls had a thick, creamy viscosity. The front tasted of honey, vanilla wafers, and malt. My mid-palate found lemon, grapefruit, and corn. The back offered a handful of rye, oak, and clove spices.

 

Finish: The most prominent parts of the finish were oak and clove. However, honey and grapefruit were also evident. Overall, it was a medium-to-long finish.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: While I didn’t try Four Walls in a cocktail, it is flavorful enough – even at 80° - to not get lost. Sipped neat, it offers a surprising amount of oomph, and due to its triple distillation, it lacks any harshness. Many times, a minimum-proofed whiskey has trouble standing out. That’s not going to even cross your mind with Four Walls. I believe a lot is going for this Irish-American blend and am happy to crown it with my Bottle 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 to do so responsibly.