Copper Alley 10 Year Old is a sherry-finished Irish single malt from a Dublin distillery, and it is one of the better bottles at its age. This Copper Alley 10 Year Old review is about a honeyed, red-fruit 46% malt that costs about £55 and is easy to admire, and it is a pleasant, grown-up whiskey with a good story and no big surprises.
I like it. It does not try to dazzle, and it does everything it should: honey, fruit, soft oak and a gentle finish. I find the price fair for a ten-year-old Irish malt, and I find that the limited release makes it a bit more precious than it needs to be.
Copper Alley is the ten-year-old single malt from The Dublin Liberties distillery, whose story is on the Dublin Liberties distillery page. The whiskey is matured for ten years in American oak ex-bourbon casks and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, then bottled at 46%, non-chill-filtered. It has a sherry finish, and it was a limited release, with only 31 sherry casks’ worth of whiskey produced. That small number is part of the appeal.
The ten-year age statement is also useful. It gives you something to compare with the likes of Bushmills 10 and other Irish malts at the same age. The Dublin Liberties name comes from the old whiskey-making district of the city, which was once crowded with distilleries and is now being revived. Sherry cask versus bourbon cask explains the woods, and the brand leans on that heritage.
A spoon of acacia honey, a plum and a posy of apple blossom.
The nose is honey, powdered sugar, apple blossom and red fruit. The sherry finish brings deep fruit notes of baked plums and ripe red grapes. It smells sweet, gentle and mature, with a lovely fruity depth.
On the palate it is smooth and medium-bodied, with honey, red fruit and vanilla, then a little spice, a hint of nuts and a soft oak. The 46% gives it a good body, and the texture is silky and a little oily. Think of honey and apple blossom up front, plum and red grape in the middle, and a clean, soft finish.
The finish is medium to long, with oak, fruit and a lingering gentle spice. It is warm, clean and pleasing.
A few drops of water bring out the plum and soften the oak, and I think it is better for it. It also gets richer as it sits, and the honey comes forward. At 46% it takes water well, and a patient pour pays off.
Neat, with a few drops of water, or on a single cube. It is a very good sipper and a lovely after-dinner whiskey. It makes a rich Old Fashioned, where the honey and the plum are a natural fit, and a smooth Manhattan.
It goes well with a fruit tart, a mild blue cheese and a long evening. It is a good gift for somebody who likes fruit in their whiskey but not sweetness.
At about £55 it scores 77. Bushmills 10 scores 77 at about £35, the same score for £20 less. Teeling Small Batch scores 80 at about £38. Writers’ Tears Copper Pot scores 78 at about £39, and Glendalough Double Barrel scores 74 at about £34.
So the Copper Alley is a good whiskey at a high price. The Bushmills 10 matches it for £20 less, which is the sharpest comparison, and the Teeling beats it for £17 less. I would buy the Copper Alley for the sherry finish and the Dublin story, and I would be honest that it is not the best value.
A ten-year-old Irish single malt is a rare thing from a young distillery, and it usually means sourced stock. The Dublin Liberties story is a mix of its own distilling and bought-in whiskey, and a ten-year-old is a good way to show what a mature Irish malt tastes like. It is a good bottle to compare with the established names.
The limited run is a bit of marketing, and also a reminder that old Irish stock is scarce. Thirty-one casks is not much whiskey, and the price reflects it. I find that rather appealing, and I would also like the next release to come at a slightly kinder price.
Four more bottles, from the better buys to the other aged drams.
A triple-distilled Irish single malt with the same score for £20 less.
A fruity, rum-finished blend that scores three points higher for £17 less.
A honeyed blend of pot still and malt for £16 less.
A bourbon-and-sherry Irish single malt for £21 less.
Copper Alley 10 Year Old is honeyed, plummy, soft and mature, a sherry-finished Irish malt with real charm. It is a good bottle at a slightly high price, and the Bushmills 10 is the better value.
Caskable score: 77 out of 100.
Honey, powdered sugar, apple blossom and red fruit.
Baked plums and ripe red grapes.
Soft and fruity, with a gentle sherry note.
Honeyed, red-fruited and gently sherried. A pleasing ten-year-old, a little dearer than Bushmills 10.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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