Rating 95
Style
Whiskey
Produced In Ireland
ABV 55.5%
Availability Limited
Price $500.00 
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2026-03-10

High N’ Wicked ‘Saints & Scholars’ 19 Year Single Malt Irish Whiskey Review

For whatever reason, there is just not a lot of cask strength Irish whiskey available these days. Thankfully, this specialty bottler isn’t afraid to get hot and heavy (perhaps because the company is run by Americans — who had once worked for Brown-Forman no less). In fact, this will be the second year in a row High N’ Wicked has claimed our cask strength crown with one of their limited releases. Thirty barrels of single malt were distilled at Cooley Distillery by former master distiller Noel Sweeney back in 2002. Each year he picks a few of the best single barrels from that bunch to release. (Now that we think of it, there are not a lot of Irish whiskey single barrels out there either!) Bottled at 55.5 percent, this is anything but hot. In fact, it is oddly delicate and nuanced, with notes of pineapple upside down cake on the nose, leading to a palate of more tropical fruits, mangoes and bananas, backed by a malty, biscuity quality, and a milk chocolate finish that goes on for days.

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95
POINTS
High N’ Wicked ‘Saints & Scholars’ 19 Year Single Malt Irish Whiskey
For whatever reason, there is just not a lot of cask strength Irish whiskey available these days. Thankfully, this specialty bottler isn’t afraid to get hot and heavy (perhaps because the company is run by Americans — who had once worked for Brown-Forman no less). In fact, this will be the second year in a row High N’ Wicked has claimed our cask strength crown with one of their limited releases. Thirty barrels of single malt were distilled at Cooley Distillery by former master distiller Noel Sweeney back in 2002. Each year he picks a few of the best single barrels from that bunch to release. (Now that we think of it, there are not a lot of Irish whiskey single barrels out there either!) Bottled at 55.5 percent, this is anything but hot. In fact, it is oddly delicate and nuanced, with notes of pineapple upside down cake on the nose, leading to a palate of more tropical fruits, mangoes and bananas, backed by a malty, biscuity quality, and a milk chocolate finish that goes on for days.

Reviewed On: 03-10-2026
95
POINTS
High N’ Wicked ‘Saints & Scholars’ 19 Year Single Malt Irish Whiskey
For whatever reason, there is just not a lot of cask strength Irish whiskey available these days. Thankfully, this specialty bottler isn’t afraid to get hot and heavy (perhaps because the company is run by Americans — who had once worked for Brown-Forman no less). In fact, this will be the second year in a row High N’ Wicked has claimed our cask strength crown with one of their limited releases. Thirty barrels of single malt were distilled at Cooley Distillery by former master distiller Noel Sweeney back in 2002. Each year he picks a few of the best single barrels from that bunch to release. (Now that we think of it, there are not a lot of Irish whiskey single barrels out there either!) Bottled at 55.5 percent, this is anything but hot. In fact, it is oddly delicate and nuanced, with notes of pineapple upside down cake on the nose, leading to a palate of more tropical fruits, mangoes and bananas, backed by a malty, biscuity quality, and a milk chocolate finish that goes on for days.

Reviewed On: 03-10-2026