OAK

Finbarr Curran
Bond Supervisor, Irish Distillers 
Cork, Irlande

Ireland, another native land of whiskey, is also the homeland of Finbarr, who works on the team that sources the best barrels globally for Irish Distillers.

JOURNEY.

Notes of vanilla and spice, oak and honey, and over  it all, highlights of caramel: good barrels lend so many flavours. When made with care from the finest wood, an oak barrel can last over 100 years !

The casks in which we age our whiskey are used three times, and then they are moved on to continue their journey in other distilleries to mature other spirits around the world. In this circular economy, the life  of a barrel can be the same as the time required for an oak tree to reach its full size. To achieve this level  of quality, the choice of barrel maker is critical, which is why we work with Paul. I have complete faith in his choices and his judgement because he understands my expectations and knows his subject perfectly.

His cooperage respects wood and crucially the forests where it comes from. Together we are working to ensure sustainability is at the forefront of our approach to forestry management and cask selection.