Two Stacks Origins

These days, the pace of new whiskey releases borders on overwhelming, especially as the season pushes every distillery to get bottles into the hands of eager drinkers. Sorting through it all can feel like tiptoeing through a minefield of limited editions and flashy announcements. Yet amid the noise, Two Stacks is one name I always watch closely. They have a knack for quietly nurturing something remarkable in their warehouses, and this time was no exception. With perfect timing, they’ve just declared the maturation complete on one of their most exciting new collections: Origins.

In their own words, Origins is a collection that “honours the makers, the grain, and the traditions that shaped Irish whiskey, while charting a fresh path for its future.” It’s an especially fitting description at a time when Irish whiskey is facing headwinds. After years of explosive growth, the industry now appears to be correcting. For example: by late 2024, there were over 50 operational distilleries in Ireland, and yet about 90 % of them had either paused or cut back production, according to the Irish Whiskey Association. Against that backdrop, the aspiration of Two Stacks to blaze a “fresh path” suddenly isn’t just admirable, it feels essential.

What the Origins statement truly accomplishes is giving authentic cadence to the past, honouring the makers, the grain, and the traditions that shaped Irish whiskey. To me, that’s essential. This is what Irish whiskey was and what it should continue to be, even as change inevitably shapes its future. One of Two Stacks’ defining principles is innovation, and it’s a quality that genuinely sets them apart. We’ve already seen it in the success of Dram in a Can, the Polaris series, The Big One, and a host of other bold releases. But this new innovative chapter feels different: more necessary, more grounded, and unquestionably vital if they’re to chart a new course for Irish whiskey’s next era.

The first chapter is all about Boann, and rightly so. These guys are on a serious roll, a bright spark in what can feel like a challenging moment for Irish whiskey. Drawing on deep regional heritage, Boann has revived traditional craft in Drogheda, bringing whiskey production back to the area for the first time in over 160 years. Their process is rooted in precision and respect for raw materials, from milling their own malt to running state-of-the-art nano-copper pot stills engineered to pull richer, more expressive flavours from the spirit. It’s exactly this kind of thoughtful, grain-to-glass ethos that makes Boann the perfect distillery to open the first chapter of Origins.

And that commitment to heritage makes an ideal foundation for what comes next, because the whiskey chosen to launch the series leans into another long-overlooked element of Ireland’s distilling past: rye. Rye is far more than a modern curiosity in Irish whiskey, it’s a return to a long, often overlooked part of the island’s distilling heritage. Before the industrial consolidation of the 20th century, Irish distillers regularly worked with a diverse mix of grains, and rye featured prominently in many regional mashbills. It contributed spice, structure, and a distinctive grain character that helped shape the flavour profile of early pot still styles. As the industry narrowed toward more commercially uniform mashbills, rye gradually disappeared, but its influence never fully vanished. Today, reintroducing rye isn’t just experimentation; it’s a deliberate nod to an authentic Irish tradition, reconnecting modern whiskey with the diverse, cereal-rich mashbills that once defined it.

The Friends of Irish Whiskey were the first to experience this new series, receiving a wonderfully off-beat whiskey built on a mashbill of 51% unmalted rye and 49% malted rye, all sourced from family farms in Louth and Wexford. Guided by the natural enzymes in the malted rye and fermented with AB Pinnacle MG+ yeast, this three-year-old spirit is bottled at natural colour, non-chill filtered and given a final flourish in Kentucky Wild Turkey bourbon casks. And if that wasn’t enough, and as he always seems to do, Shane McCarthy came through with another generous gesture, sending over an extra sample; an unreleased Origins expression finished in a 50-litre ex-Porto Firkin from Micil Distillery. A brilliant distillery in its own right, and an inspired partner for a series dedicated to tracing Irish whiskey back to its roots.

Two Stacks 100% Rye FOIW release

Price: £84

ABV: 57.4%

Nose: A beautifully expressive nose that arrives instantly, opening with Black Jack sweets, aniseed, and a drizzle of honey. Beneath the sweetness, a lively mix of cracked black pepper and vanilla bean seeds adds both warmth and texture. Zesty lemon rind lifts the aromatics, while soft toffee notes emerge as it settles, custard notes adding depth and richness.

Palate: Wonderfully warm and inviting on the palate, with an immediate burst of pepper and spice. It begins with the snap of ginger biscuits before evolving into layers of aniseed and subtle clove. Fresh peppermint mixes with penny chews, accented by a touch of sea salt and a hint of mustard seed. There’s a natural, slightly smoky staleness, reminiscent of old embers that adds character and complexity.

Finish: A smooth, gently lingering finish with soft caramel and a hint of flat cola sweetness. Chocolate éclairs add a creamy richness, while a touch of light ginger brings a final, warming flicker of heat.

Score: An easy 8/10

Two Stacks Origins 100% Rye Ex Micil cask

Price: likely £84

ABV: 61.1%

Nose: A quick hit of gently stale, earthy smoke leads the way, almost like smoky bacon crisps and charred BBQ ribs. Beneath the peat, bergamot brings a fragrant citrus lift, intertwining with cracked black pepper. A touch of lemon zest brightens the profile, adding a clean counterpoint to the darker, smoked elements.

Palate: Surprisingly fruit-forward compared to the nose, opening with stewed pears and a warmly spiced apple crumble character, drifting into toffee-apple sweetness. The peat arrives softly but steadily, weaving through layers of peppermint, spice, and gentle sweetness. Each sip reveals a new facet: smoke, fruit, and spice working in harmony, with an undercurrent of sweet cigar smoke adding depth.

Finish: Foam banana notes take the lead, followed by a return of black pepper and a touch of clove. It closes on a warm, spiced-vanilla glow; sweet, lightly smoky, and pleasantly lingering.

Score: 8.5/10

Summary

Well, there it is. What more can I say? These are, quite genuinely, two exceptional releases. It brings us neatly back to the heart of Origins: a series created not only to honour the makers, the grain, and the traditions that shaped Irish whiskey, but also to chart a fresh path for its future. And taken one at a time, both missions are beautifully fulfilled. Boann has been honoured in every sense: their heritage, craft, and character shine through unmistakably in this whiskey. And as for charting a new path? Consider it well and truly underway. If the future of Irish whiskey looks anything like this, we’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about.

Right, first up, the FOIW release. This is a beauty. It has all the hallmarks you’d expect from a rye whiskey: spicy, lively, and full of character. There’s impressive depth and balance from the start, but what really stands out is the bourbon cask finish. It’s been timed to perfection, rounding the whiskey in all the right ways. Those sharper edges you might anticipate in a whiskey of this age are nowhere to be found. Instead, you get a wonderfully cohesive dram with layers of complexity that reveal themselves slowly. It’s the kind of whiskey you could return to night after night and still uncover something new.

Now, onto the Micil cask–finished rye. While the mashbill and that spell in Wild Turkey bourbon casks remains the same, the Micil ex-Porto firkin takes things in a completely different direction. The difference? Absolutely astronomical. It feels as though every element has been lifted to a new level. The spice is more pronounced, yet still beautifully controlled. There’s a gentle smokiness threading through it as well, not dominant, but confidently present, adding another layer without tipping the balance. But the real standout for me is the character this cask imparts: richer, darker, more expressive. It’s as if the whiskey has gained a new dimension, one that brings depth, and a touch of wildness into the mix. The result is a dram that feels both familiar and entirely new, a perfect example of how thoughtful cask choice can transform a whiskey without losing its soul.

Modestly priced, seriously tasty, and clearly signalling the road ahead, these two releases have everything going for them, both for Two Stacks and for Irish whiskey as a whole. Who knows what the next chapter holds for the category, but one thing is certain: we still have talented, passionate people who not only know how to make great whiskey, but how to shape it into something genuinely beautiful. And if this is the standard being set, the future looks fantastic.