Kalak Peat Cask Single Malt Grain Spirit
Kalak Peat Cask Single Malt Grain Spirit is a 40% ABV (80-proof) Irish single-malt vodka — not a whiskey, despite the name. It starts as triple-distilled Irish single-malt spirit (100% malted barley, one distillery, copper pot stills), gets distilled a fourth time to vodka strength, and is then rested in virgin American oak casks charred with burning peat fire. That peat-smoke char — the only source of the smoke — layers a wisp of campfire over a clean, malty vodka. Order online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Size: 750mL per live listing — brand-standard bottle is 700mL; confirm against physical bottle
- Cask rest: Virgin American oak casks charred with burning peat fire
- Origin: Ireland — Origin Spirits Ireland Ltd; distilled with West Cork Distillers, County Cork
- Production: 100% Irish malted barley, quadruple copper-pot distilled, cut with mountain water
The Vodka That Wears Peat Smoke
Kalak — an Anglicized spelling of Cailleach, the Irish Celtic winter goddess — comes from Origin Spirits Ireland, founded by ex-Moet Hennessy operator Patrick Shelley. The trick here is category-bending: take a proper single-malt spirit and push it through a fourth copper-pot distillation to vodka, then let Kalak's peat-fired casks do the talking. The barley is never peated; the smoke arrives entirely from the charred oak. For vodka drinkers who love Islay's smoke from a distance, this is the middle path — and for martini traditionalists, a conversation piece that still behaves like vodka.
Tasting Notes
A wisp of peat smoke and vanilla on the nose, with clean malt underneath. The palate is silky and oily — sweet barley, a breath of campfire, toasted oak — resolving into a smooth, gently smoky finish that lingers without bitterness.
How to Enjoy
Ice-cold and neat, or in a martini with a whisper of dry vermouth. Try it in a vodka-based Penicillin-style riff with ginger and honey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kalak Peat Cask a whiskey?
No — it is an Irish single-malt vodka. The base is quadruple copper-pot distilled malt spirit (vodka strength); the peat character comes from the cask char, not peated barley.
What does "single malt" mean for a vodka?
It was distilled at a single distillery from a mash of 100% malted barley — the same starting point as a single malt whiskey, taken further to vodka.
Where is Kalak made?
Ireland, by Origin Spirits Ireland Ltd, distilled in partnership with West Cork Distillers in County Cork.
Where can I buy Kalak Peat Cask online?
This bottle is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor — it ships from San Diego, CA.
Single-malt soul, vodka discipline, a whisper of peat — buy Kalak Peat Cask online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.