Pearse Founder's Choice 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey
Pearse Founder's Choice 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey is an 86 proof (43% ABV), 750mL 12-year-old single malt honoring founder Pearse Lyons — aged in ex-bourbon barrels and, in 2014, re-casked into freshly emptied Town Branch bourbon barrels from the sister distillery in Lexington, Kentucky. Made from 100% malted barley and finished under the Pearse Lyons name at the family's Dublin distillery, it won Gold for Single Malt Premium at the Irish Whiskey Masters in both 2019 and 2021, plus Gold (Single Malt 12–15 YO) at the 2022 Irish Whiskey Awards. White peach, spiced pear, and honeysuckle over a silky, gingery finish. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 43% (86 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age/style: 12-year-old single malt — 100% malted barley
- Casks: ex-bourbon barrels; re-casked 2014 into freshly emptied Town Branch bourbon barrels (Lexington, KY)
- Distillery: Pearse Lyons Distillery, St. James' Church, James' Street, Dublin 8 (the Liberties)
- Awards: Gold, Single Malt Premium, Irish Whiskey Masters 2019 & 2021; Gold, Single Malt 12–15 YO, 2022 Irish Whiskey Awards
Honoring the Founder, Finished in Kentucky Oak
Founder's Choice is the Pearse Lyons tribute to Pearse Lyons himself — the Dundalk-born founder of Alltech who opened the distillery in a restored 18th-century church in Dublin's Liberties in 2017. An honest detail: a 12-year-old whiskey re-casked in 2014 cannot have been distilled at a distillery that opened in 2017, so this is sourced single malt aged and finished under the Pearse Lyons name — the re-casking into Town Branch barrels (from Alltech's Lexington sister distillery) is the family's signature on it. The awards, at least, are unambiguously the whiskey's own: three golds across the Irish Whiskey Masters and Irish Whiskey Awards.
Tasting Notes
Official brand copy (via drinkstore.ie, Molloys.ie, CaskCartel) describes a nose of white peach, apple, spiced pear, herbal and pine notes, with lemon, dried orange, and a touch of honeysuckle; and a medium-to-long, silky-smooth finish with warm notes of ginger and clove. Orchard fruit and baking spice over a soft bourbon-barrel sweetness — a classic ex-bourbon Irish single malt profile, executed at a high level.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a few drops of water to open the orchard fruit — this is a sipping single malt. It also makes a refined Irish whiskey sour for those who like their sours with age on them. Compare it against the Original 5 and the rest of the Pearse range to taste what the extra seven years and the Town Branch finish add.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pearse Founder's Choice? A 12-year-old single malt honoring founder Pearse Lyons — aged in ex-bourbon barrels and re-casked in 2014 into Town Branch bourbon barrels.
Where is Pearse Lyons Distillery? In St. James' Church on James' Street, Dublin 8 — a restored 18th-century church in the Liberties.
Is Founder's Choice cask strength? The standard release is 43% ABV; one retailer lists a 53% cask-strength version, unverified — check the label.
San Diego single-malt fans: order Pearse Founder's Choice 12 online from Del Mesa Liquor and taste a three-time gold medalist.