Tastes

Midleton Distillery post-tour tasting, 20 May 2024, whisky #3 Same thoughts as when I first tasted this four years ago. In the context of a flight of three whiskies (the others being Jamesons and Powers Gold Label) this certainly stood out as the best dram by far, but that would not be hard given the context. It's a good whiskey, but way over-hyped. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars) ---------------------------------------------------------- Original review: Nose: Malt, green apples, peach, lemon zest, sweet herbs, fresh-cut hay, vegetable oil, a hint of vanilla. Palate: A fruity and malt-driven arrival that is a little oily in texture. The development brings an interesting combination of nutty (walnut and almond) and fruity (pineapple) flavours with some accompanying warm spice. Oiliness is noticeable throughout the palate but it's not a rich, creamy oiliness. More like sunflower oil. Finish: Medium/Short. A woody nuttiness that fades into a slightly bitter fruit aftertaste with a tinge of brine. I'm at a bit of a loss regarding the love this whisky receives. Overall it seems to me a good dram but nothing particularly special, and at the local price of AUS$100 there is no way I'd buy it over any similarly priced scotch single malt. Maybe it's just not a profile I find attractive. My impression of Irish whisky is mixed and I've tasted only a few expressions priced below $100 that I'd call good quality or value. On the other hand more expensive Irish whiskies, particularly those from Midleton, can be very good indeed. I'd happily pay 50% more than this for a bottle of Yellow Spot, and Barry Crockett Legacy, Midleton Very Rare, Powers John's Lane and the better Redbreasts are all well worth the expense. However, I just didn't get this one. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Deep, elegant oak and sherry, inextricably intertwined. Heaps of rancio. Cloves, dark fruits, plums, oloroso sherry (but held in great restraint). There's a touch of treacle or molasses and a soupçon of anise and mint. The nose has great depth and continues to unfold over time eventually showing chocolate, leather, orange oil and espresso notes. Adding water unleashes a torrent of orange marmalade and grapefruit aromas, but sadly the lovely musty depth of the neat aromas is lost. A supurb nose highlighting very old grain whisky aromas. [The dry-glass aroma is like the memory of ancient maple syrup, aged in a toasted cask for decades]. Palate: The initial tasting is surprisingly bright and flinty on the arrival for a whisky of this age with lots of leather and tobacco. Stewed fruits and sherry appear as it develops along with sour cherry and some bittersweet orange cake. There's a touch almost like madeira or plum brandy after some time resting in the glass. There is also a mighty lot of old oak tannin lurking in the background that gives the arrival its hardness but you only identify it positively once you're into the development, as it rises to take prominence. The texture is mouth-coating with that mild astringency you get from old sherried whisky. Adding water softens the arrival but does not change the tannic rise in the development. It adds a touch of sweetness throughout the palate and makes the texture a little creamier. Finish: Long. Dark cherry, leather, old fortified wine and a distinct rum-and-raisin chocolate aftertaste with side flavours of oak. Licorice becomes apparent after a while and is the final echo. A lovely, elegant nose. I could happily sit nosing this dram for hours without ever bothering to taste it. The palate is a little tight and confused at first tasting but it opens excellently over time. I'd recommend you give this a brief nose and taste to set your palate but then concentrate on the nose for 20 minutes or so before taking another taste. Sip and savour slowly at intervals to experience the progression. With considerable time the many facets of the palate recombine into dense, dark fruitcake with overtones of tobacco, sherry and oak. Adding water (and if you do only a few drops) softens the dram but mutes it strongly. Personally I prefer this neat. Excellent stuff. I've never seen this in Australia, I guess we had no allocation. Many thanks to @Soba45 who sent me a tasting sample shared from a sample he received from @PBMichiganWolverine. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Nose: Gently honeyed notes riding on supple malty aromas. Some fine grassy, hay-like tones and over time walnuts and leather emerge. There is a passing similarity to middle-aged Glenfarclas. Over time the dried fruit and spice aromas (especially cinnamon and allspice) come to dominate. Water releases many floral aromas of a dusky and sensual hue - old rose, acacia, iris and jasmine - and some sandalwood (again, rather like Glenfarclas). Palate: A dry, grippy and spicy arrival that suddenly (but briefly) turns sweet with old dried fruit flavours (dates, figs, currants and sour cherries). However just as abruptly a wave of blanketing astringent spice floods in. I'm reminded strongly of walnut and banana bread with a glaze of baked bitter orange peel. As this tide of flavours subsides an unmistakable and huge presence of sherry is noticed. The palate then progresses through sweet malt, bitter/sour fruit, bittersweet dark chocolate and finally relaxes into a taste of old oak that ushers in the finish. Finish: Medium/long. Segueing seamlessly from the palate, astringently dry and highly tannic sherried notes fade slowly into a long, lingering taste of oloroso cask with black tea and strawberry jam faintly discernable. This is very much a whisky-nerd's dram and it would frighten the hell out of novices. The nose is commanding and highly expressive when neat but becomes retiring when watered. As much as I liked the floral notes that water produced, I preferred the neat nose. On the palate, water significantly tames the arrival by unfolding substantial sweetness but the follow-up wave of astringent spice is still there. The palate is more immediately approachable overall but something is also lost. The over-brewed tea note expands and brings with it a previously hidden minty presence and the strong oloroso personality steps back into the shadows. A very dry profile single malt with an exquisite nose of harmonious complexity, and a palate that almost but not quite matches. Tasted from a 30ml sample, my thanks to Aqvavitae for sending this to me all the way from Glasgow. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75)

Nose: Grassy and mildly earthy with a lot of citrus notes - lemon zest, orange concentrate, grapefruit - citrus that is bright and zesty rather than sweet, and a little pineapple. A leathery honeyed note creeps in at the sides to keep things interesting. The nose gains complexity and breadth as it opens and when first poured the ethanol is a bit punchy so allow a few minutes for it to develop. A dash of water enhances the nose by bringing out floral notes (lilies, jonquils, honeysuckle). Most elegant and enjoyable. Palate: Lovely easy arrival. Sweet, rounded, honeyed cereal flavours, almonds and warm spices. Very friendly and there is a pleasant puff of smoke on the palate that emerges a few seconds after the arrival. A little beeswax and vanilla with some berry and sweet white grape notes on the palate. In the late development and finish a distinct milk chocolate flavour is apparent. The texture is excellent and has a creamy density that is very satisfying. Adding a drop of water softens and sweetens the palate. Finish: Medium/short. Leathery sweet-malt taste with some musky floral and charcoal-like smoke on the aftertaste. There's a handsome, sweaty farmyard quality to this whisky that is very enjoyable. It's a little like a polite and graceful Japanese version of Ben Nevis or Hazelburn. Adding water is not necessary at all as this is very nice neat, however neither does it do any harm but simply sweetens and lightens the profile. Tasted from a 30ml sample from a friend (thank you Wei). I'm considering adding a bottle to my next whisky order. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Spirity to begin with, fresh and clean but also thin and weak. Rather like the nose of a close-to-bottom-shelf blended scotch. Malt, green apple, lemon zest with grassy spice notes in the background. The dry-glass aroma is all honey, surprisingly, but after several tastes I can't detect honey on the nose itself. Palate: Fruity and spicy on the arrival with cereal flavours reminiscent of white bread toast. Porridge and malt come to dominate as it develops but there is an overarching gingery spicy note throughout the palate and an accompanying touch of aniseed. The texture is on the thin side. Finish: Short. Malt flavours that are initially sweet and spicy but turn dry and almost bitter in the aftertaste. An uninspiring Irish single malt that compares poorly against considerably cheaper scotch blends. There is just not enough going on here to make this worthy of compliment - not actively bad, but you can do way better. It's not really satisfying as a sipping whisky and as a mixer it tends to disappear. It works best straight with a couple of rocks and a dash of soda water. My biggest complaint is that this is poor value for money. In Australia a bottle costs a couple of dollars less than Ardbeg 10. My cheap blended scotch of choice recently has been Ballantine's 12 year old, which is almost half the price but knocks this milquetoast contender onto the canvas with one punch. It's acceptable, with no real off-notes, but hardly recommended. The official rating here is very generous. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

Old Pulteney tasting event, Sydney, February 26, 2020, Whisky #6 Nose: Lots of citrus notes (orange juice concentrate, mandarin, red grapefruit), mango, musk sweets, sherry, hibiscus tea, vanilla, dark fruit and a hint of sea breeze. Palate: Heavy, dense brine and spice arrival. In the development this morphs to sweet honeyed spices and a background of malt extract as the citrus qualities on the nose return for an encore. Fragrant oak notes of cedar cigar boxes and sandalwood chests in the foundation with a supple but firm texture that is just on the lighter side of chewy. Some sherry notes (raisins, dark fruits, etc.) and a little mild tannic spice. Finish: Medium/long. Well oaked malt notes fading to a sweet citrus aftertaste. Water did this no favours at all - everything just crumbled and went to cardboard and dust. Please take it neat. After the good, but under-performing, 25 year old the tasting finished on a high note with this very pleasant 33 year old vintage dram. Bottled in 1983 and matured mostly in bourbon with a little sherry finish, it had the coherency typical of older whiskies but retained some lively notes and freshness. This event was the first time I’ve tasted the new Old Pulteney core range and only the 15 and 18 year core expressions and this 33 year old vintage really impressed me. The new livery 12 year old is not as good as the old 12, and the Huddart is OK but that's all. Nothing on offer began to approach anything like the quality and personality of the discontinued 17 and 21 year old expressions. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4 stars)

Old Pulteney tasting event, Sydney, February 26, 2020, Whisky #5 Nose: Flowery stonefruit (peaches, apricots) and sweet citrus. Honeyed, grassy and a little spirity. Some fragrant woody notes. Palate: Dry, briny honey with oak notes on the arrival. It opens into a fruit dominated palate as it develops with lots of sweet flavours – barley sugar and boiled lollies, cherries, rosewater and rosehip tisane. Some spicy notes float about in the background. It’s a softer palate than the 15 year old but less voluptuous than the 18. Water improves it by increasing the volume and mouthfeel. Finish: Medium/short. Fades to briny, semi-sweet marmalade on the aftertaste with a little oak. Very much like the 15 year old turned up in volume, but lighter than the 18 and spirity in comparison. Not much more I can say about this as it left me feeling completely disinterested. There’s nothing bad going on, no off notes and it’s obviously well-crafted and matured, but it’s the most boring 25 year old whisky I’ve tasted for a good long while and there is no way I’d pay the asking price of $650 for a bottle. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)