Tuesday this week the Irish (and lots of others, for that matter...) celebrate
St. Patrick's Day. By now the hangovers should have lifted from those who participated - a hangover mainly caused by many pints of
Guinness and also, in some,
Irish Whiskey.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of hosting an Irish Whiskey tasting in the local club and thankfully, they've started bottling more of their whiskey at cask strength which makes the whole thing a lot more fun.
Here's some quick notes on all the whiskeys from that tasting in one post (left to right)
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| 7 drams from The Emerald Isle, January 22nd 2015 © The Malt Desk |
Tullamore Dew 12yo Special Reserve, 40%, Distillery bottling
Colour is light amber
Nose:
Fruity at first, then spicy grains and some honey
Taste:
Very easy arrival, banana, vanillas, gentle and sweet, more honey, crisp grains evident, pleasant drinker, slight bitterness on the finish
Actually much better than expected!
77/100!
Jameson Select Reserve, 40%, Distillery bottling
Colour is amber
Nose:
Burnt caramel, spicy, not much grain evident at first, , toast, honey and hints of coffee
Taste:
Creamy, a burnt bitterness, medium mouthfeel, notes of rum and candied apple
78/100!
Distilled in Ireland 26yo, 51,6%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams
Colour is golden straw
Nose:
A little vinegar and varnish at first, then vanilla, sweet malt, resin, wet oak
Taste:
Almost waxy, melon, fruits, oak spices, lots of ginger, gets very tropical fruity in style with time along with mustard seeds and cumin - lovely!
85/100!
Limerick Malt 2001 11yo, 57%, cask#9929, 235 bottles, Adelphi
Colour is straw
Nose:
Discreet at first, then apples and pears, grist, hint of strawberry, vanilla and fresh dough
Taste:
Think of a sweet Speyside whisky - the style is very fruity/floral with apple crumble and white chocolate and a peppery finish - Very good and incredibly drinkable even at full strength
86/100!
Writer's Tears Cask Strength 53%, Walsh's Whiskey
Colour is pale straw
Nose:
Slightly soapy note at first and quite some alcohol as well. Vanilla, some fruit, feinty notes (dairy) quite a young-ish profile
Taste:
More feinty notes - I'm guessing this is quite young, slightly herbal, sweet and carries a very distinct style. The pot still-style whiskey comes through to save this one...
81/100!
Redbreast 12 Cask Strength, 58,6%, batch B1/12, Distillery bottling
Colour is dark amber
Nose:
Lots of sherry and a fat pot still nose, very spicy, fruit cake, dates, candies fruit peel
Taste:
A little cardboard at first, sadly, but quickly gives away to candied apple, wood spices, cinnamon and cloves. Thick barley/grains gives this quite an oily mouthfeel - it's really excellent in spite of the cardboardy start!
87/100!
Cooley's (peated) Connemara 118.3 (14.10.1991) 22yo 'Self-assured, buxom and rewarding' 57,9%, 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel, 206 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Colour is full gold
Nose:
Sweet, instantly typical Irish whiskey notes hit your nose, with at times, almost a grain whisky style to it. There's wild flowers and Geranium and lavender, honey, slight hint of high quality tequila, vanilla, red berries (raspberry?). Have you tried the Knappogue Castle 1993? take that and add 15 years of maturation and add a good measure of smoke to it as well. Hugely expressive!
Taste:
Full force floral and perfumy front, then malt, more honey, fresh pear and smoke. Also vanilla, cough mints, licorice, and musty white wine. After a while the whole experience gets alot more fruity, with added banana and melon notes. Water brings out a bit more smoke and a few darker notes, more oak and spices.
I've tried this a few times now and it has grown a bit on me... sadly, a price tag of £270 here in Denmark will keep me from getting one.
A fun and interesting dram, though...
87/100!
Reviewed earlier - full post here
