Writers Tears Double Oak - Irish Whiskey Review June 2025

The Writers' Tears Irish Whiskey brand, the brainchild of Walsh Whiskey, pays tribute to the famous Irish literary giants like Shaw, Joyce, and Wilde who sought writing inspiration in whiskey. Our review of the Double Oak expression is inspired by the month of June, particularly Bloomsday (in honor of James Joyce Ulysses) and National Cognac Day (to highlight the whiskey's finish). 

The original Writers' Tears launched in 2009 at a time when the Irish Whiskey had yet to re-emerge into the new renaissance we know now. The significance of the brand (and its cousin The Irishman) was its unique style. Not a single malt like Bushmills, not a pot still like Redbreast, and not a blend like Paddy's, all popular, best selling brands at the time.

 Irish Whiskey's 3 styles (single grain, single malt, and single pot still) all had representatives in the market. Blends traditionally combined grain whiskey with either single malt (e.g. BlackBush) or single pot still (e.g. Jameson). Writers' Tears was a blend without grain, combining single malt with single pot still. whiskeys. This all barley approach had been done in 2006 by Walsh in the Irishman blend with a 70% single malt, 30% pot still mix. When Writers' Tears debuted a few years later, its blend consisted of 60% pot still and 40% single malt. With both brands, Walsh had carved out a niche segment at a time when the Irish Whiskey industry still only had 3 operating distilleries.

The Walsh Whiskey brands are currently sourced offerings with the single malt from Bushmills Distillery and the single pot still (malted and unmalted barley) from Midleton Distillery. The range has expanded greatly over the years with different cask finishes and strength. For this review we focus on the Double Oak expression from the core Writers' Tears range.

Writers Tears Double Oak was first released in 2019. It has a similar malt/pot still mix but at a higher 46% abv vs. the 40% of the original Copper Pot blend. The other primary difference is in the name. Double Oak is matured in both American oak ex-bourbon barrels and French oak cognac casks. The whiskey is triple distilled and non-chill filtered.

Official Tasting Notes (from Walsh website):

Nose

Dashes of sweet vanilla, notes of cinnamon, plum & poached pear.

Taste

Citrus zest, chocolate undertones and lingering spice.

Finish

Decadent and elegant. One to savour.

The Double Oak expression is a savory sipper. On the nose is a prominent stewed fruits aroma with a waft of vanilla. On the palate, the stewed fruits are joined by cinnamon and subtle oak flavors. It's very well balanced with spice lingering through its medium finish.

Another cool aspect of the Writers' Tears brand is the fairly unique bottle which particularly stood out upon its launch. The bottle is much taller and slender than other whiskey offerings. This makes it stand out in good ways (for retail sales) and maybe bad ways (hard to fit on traditional whiskey shelves with other bottles). The label is not overly complicated with a simple white background, minimalist wording, and a cool single teardrop. Originally, the bottles had screwcaps (which I preferred.) A few years ago the brand switched to corks, most likely to fit in with the premium segment. 

Fans of the Walsh Company of whiskeys will enjoy the Writers' Tears Double Oak as well. This all barley expression is a different drinking experience than typical blends. It is marketed as a premium whiskey given its no grain recipe. This is not a stretch given its quality components from Bushmills and Midleton. If you have not yet tried this fairly unique 'blend' I encourage you to give it a go. The brand is a step up from traditional everyday drinkers but still very approachable (particularly the 40% Copper Pot version). Fans of the original should check out the Double Oak which expands on the style with the higher abv and added elements from the cognac cask.