This unique Glendalough Pot Still Whiskey is triple distilled and matures first during three years in ex-bourbon barrels. To complete it is aged for up to one year in the extremely rare virgin Irish oak casks "Virgin Irish Oak Cask". Glendalough has sustainably harvested trees up to 140 years old from the ancient oak forests in the mountains surrounding the distillery. Oak played a central role in Irish culture and was a symbol of strength, honor, truth and endurance. Over the years, what was once abundant became scarce. This is because in the sixteenth century, the Queen of England ordered the forests of Ireland to be cleared for shipbuilding. As a result, oak forests now cover only 0.2% of the island, making the Irish oak extremely rare. For every tree that is cut down, seven new oak seedlings are planted in its place. Each bottle is numbered and can be traced back to each barrel and even to the Irish oak tree from which the barrel came. Irish oak grows relatively quickly due to the Irish climate and long growing season. This results in a distinctive grain, a larger ring width, and larger cells with thinner walls. This allows for deeper alcohol exchange, which gives the whiskey more oak notes. Each Irish oak tree is at least 130 to 140 years old. The oak trees are harvested under a "Continuous Cover Forest Management System" where nothing is cut down, but continuously thinned with gaps. For every tree that is cut down, seven, new oak seedlings are planted in its place. American oak bourbon barrels give the whiskey a creamy vanilla sweetness with flavors of honey and caramel. Virgin Irish Oak has a more open, porous structure with higher concentrations of vanilla, woody and earthy flavors.