High n' Wicked No. 7 Foursquare Single Grain Irish Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

Single-grain whiskeys are far less famous than their single-malt siblings. Single malts are easy to understand – they are distilled at a single distillery using malted barley. On the other hand, single grain still means that the whiskey was distilled at a single distillery. Yet, instead of barley, distillers use corn, rye, wheat, or other cereal grains. Single-grain whiskeys can be single-ingredient or a blend of grains.

 

Some folks believe that single malt whiskey is the most complex and of the highest quality, and anything else is inferior. Those of that mindset do themselves a disservice; while there are excellent single malt whiskeys on store shelves, there are single malts that should never have been bottled.

 

Irish Single Grain Whiskey is made at a single distillery, using rye, corn, oats, wheat, and barley, either singly or as a blend. Typically, a portion of malted barley assists with the fermentation process. Irish law limits the malted barley content to 30% or less. It is either double- or triple-distilled utilizing a column still. The whiskey must be matured in wood containers that are 700 liters or fewer in Ireland for at least three years.

 

High n’ Wicked was founded in 2019 by W.L. Lyons Brown III and Kevin E. Sachs, both formerly of Brown-Forman. The duo was instrumental in bringing Jack Daniel’s and Southern Comfort to the Asian and European markets.

 

“Our pursuit of distinctive distillates is relentless. While the soul of our brand franchise will always be Kentucky Bourbon and Kentucky Rye, we are not afraid to bottle whiskies from other parts of the country or from The Old World that meet our standards. We will throw in some secondary wood finishes from time to time to keep our offerings frothy.” – W.L. Lyons Brown III, CEO and Co-Founder

 

Today’s review explores High n’ Wicked’s No. 7 Foursquare Single Irish Grain Whiskey. While the distiller is undisclosed, distillation occurred in County Cork from a mash of 96% French maize (corn) and 4% malted barley. It matured in former Bourbon barrels, then transferred to casks used to age 12-year single blended rum from Foursquare Rum Distillery, one of the world’s premier rum makers. Specifically, these Barbados rum casks held their Mark X from 2007.

 

The whiskey is non-chill filtered and packaged at 50% ABV (100°). A 750ml bottle is suggested at $79.99 and can be acquired from High n’ Wicked’s website.

 

Before I can #DrinkCurious, I must thank High n’ Wicked for providing me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s get started.

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. Inside, the liquid was the color of golden straw. It formed a medium rim, producing slow, syrupy tears and leaving tiny, sticky droplets behind.  

 

Nose: The rum influence was evident in the aroma. I smelled pineapples, coconut, lemons, vanilla, molasses, and chocolate. When I inhaled the vapor into my mouth, I found smoky caramel.

 

Palate: The texture was thick and creamy. It filled my mouth and coated my throat. The front of my palate encountered coconut, pineapple, and figs. The middle featured vanilla, salted caramel, and lemon zest. I tasted clove, oak, and smoked almonds.

 

Finish: The extra-long finish included pineapple, honey, salted caramel, lemon peel, and smoked almonds, with the final note of clove that held on the longest (by far). That was until I tasted a Three Musketeers candy bar at the very end.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: High n’ Wicked No. 7 Foursquare Single Grain is unlike any Irish whiskey I’ve experienced. I scoured some of my older reviews to see if I’d tried any in a rum-cask finish, and there was Grace O’Malley, but it didn’t taste anything like this. This is my third escapade with High n’ Wicked. I’m impressed, and this Irish whiskey earns every bit of 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.