Dunville's 21 Year Old Palo Cortado Cask Finish
After winning Whiskey of the Year twice at the Irish Whiskey Awards AND Ireland’s Best Single Malt Whiskey at the World Whiskey Awards, this high age statement came to Aussie shores exclusively with the Club.
IrelandColour Rich amber
Nose Apricots in syrup, stewed plums, raisins and dark chocolate.
Palate Candied orange peel, panettone pudding, roasted hazelnuts and fig jam.
Finish Banana & almond cake, roasted coffee beans and sweet cigar rolling tobacco.
Overview
Better than Redbreast 27 Year Old and Jameson 18 Year Old?!
The judges at the latest Irish Whiskey Award are certainly inclined to think so, and we gotta admit… they’re not wrong. This isn’t the first time the Dunvilles 21 Year Old Palo Cortado Finish has claimed the Whiskey of the Year accolade, and it’s unlikely to be last. It even took out Ireland’s Best Single Malt Whiskey at the World Whiskey Awards, fending off its 23-year-old single cask sister to do so.
Elevated with a rare Palo Cortado Sherry cask finish, the deluxe fullness of flavour coats your mouth on the first sip: apricots in syrup, panettone pudding, roasted hazelnut, fig jam and rounded with hint of coffee bean.
Dunville’s 21 Year Old Palo Cortado Finish isn’t a whiskey to be taken lightly. Non-chill filtered with a natural rich amber colour and bottled at that perfect pot still ABV of 46.0% to make those flavours pop.
This whiskey and its trophy-winning prowess should give you some insight into the kind of brilliance you'd could expect from our scrumptious, overaged March 2025 Whisk(e)y of the Month, too – the brilliant (and award-winning itself) Dunville’s 13 Year Old Cigar Malt.
But there’s one condition.
If you wanted either of these Irish delights, you’d need to have been a Member.
If you’re not yet part of Australia’s biggest whisk(e)y community, land yourself the best drams going around by joining free today.
THE SPECS
Price: $435.00
Age: 21 Years Old
ABV: 46.0%
Maturation: Initially matured in first-fill Bourbon casks for 14 years, re-casked into fresh first-fill Bourbon casks for two years and then a third maturation in the finest Palo Cortado Sherry casks for a further five years
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Dunville's History
Born in 1808, buried in 1936, and gloriously resurrected in 2012 – Dunville’s Irish Whiskey is the ultimate comeback story. This isn’t just another whiskey; it’s a legacy reborn, a Belfast icon returned to its rightful place among the world’s best.
For over a century, Dunville’s was the toast of Ireland, a household name, a whiskey of kings. At least until tragedy struck, and the dynasty crumbled. For nearly 80 years, the only way to get your hands on a bottle was at auction, and even that was like striking gold.
But legends don’t stay buried forever. Enter The Echlinville Distillery, Dunville’s new custodians, hell-bent on restoring The Spirit of Belfast. Mission accomplished. Today, Dunville’s is once again winning awards and turning heads, proving that its best days aren’t behind it – they’re just getting started.
Picture this: 1808, a fresh announcement in the Belfast Commercial Chronicle – William Napier and John Dunvill are setting up a wine and spirits shop at No. 13 Bank Street, known as Napier and Dunvill. The name became synonymous with top-tier Irish whiskey and in 1825 Dunvill bought Napier out, and changed the business name to Dunville & Co.
Having passed through chairmanship of five generations of the Dunville family by the late 1800s, Dunville & Co. wasn’t just thriving, it was dominating. At its peak, their Royal Irish Distilleries pumped out around 11.5 million litres of liquid gold annually, a sizeable chunk of all of Ireland's distilleries combined total of 63.5 million litres per year. Boasting a cutting-edge setup with four massive malting floors, 16 washbacks, five huge pot stills, a Coffey still and its own railway siding. It wasn’t just a distillery; it was a whiskey empire.
Dunville’s didn’t just make whiskey; they shaped a city. Their philanthropy built much-needed housing, founded the Distillery Football Club in 1880, and even donated land and serious cash to create Dunville Park – home to the iconic Dunville Fountain, which still stands today.
Then came 1931. The fifth chairman, Robert Lambart Dunville, died suddenly at just 38. His brother, Victoria Cross recipient Lt. John Spencer Dunville had already given his life in the Great War, and the only remaining heir, William, was in Australia. With no one left to take the helm, the company spiraled. By 1936, distilling had stopped, the business was liquidated, and before long the once-mighty Royal Irish Distilleries were reduced to rubble. The Spirit of Belfast was gone.
Fast forward nearly eight decades. Enter The Echlinville Distillery. Pioneers, risk-takers, and whiskey lovers on a mission. As Ireland’s first new licensed distillery in over 125 years, they did so in style, bringing the Dunville’s name back to life.
Today, Dunville’s award-winning single malts are once again setting the gold standard for Irish whiskey, winning the coveted Whiskey of the Year title at the Irish Whiskey Awards when the 21 year old Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish Whiskey was named Ireland’s best whiskey.
The Spirit of Belfast has returned. And this time, it’s here to stay.
Distillery Facts
Region: Ireland
Origin: The Echlinville Distillery, 62 Gransha Rd, Kircubbin, Newtownards BT22 1AJ