Tastes

This was another new-to-me offering from West Cork. This one didn’t seem like there was a lot different going on from the other bottles availability at the festival. They offer a couple of 12 year old malts, so this isn’t even that remarkable as an age statement whiskey. There were some average cereal malt notes and a little more burn from the peppery casks notes. I doubt I’d buy a full bottle of this one, but I am glad I got to try it. Middle of the road from the guys at West Cork, I’d say, nothing more. Update 9/3/18: I ended up purchasing a bottle of this Irish whiskey locally about a month ago for the paltry sum of $32, so I thought I’d put it through its paces again to see if my initial feelings had changed. This was a little better than what I observed at Whiskyfest, but it’s still nothing more than a middle of the road 10 year old, Irish whiskey. To date, every West Cork I’ve tried seem to be more lively than all of their Irish brethren. The oak is more in your face here, and I’d say they more closely resemble American bourbon. In that argument, I prefer them over the Jameson’s and Redbreast’s. This whiskey could use a bit of a boost in flavor, but perhaps that’s because the time in the cask has prohibited it. I still have to say that it’s a solid 3.5 star whiskey on its own and a definite change of pace for an Irish. These guys also continue to be self-owned and distributed, so that’s also cool to help the little guy. If you see a bottle or two on your local shelf grab it and show them some love- you may just find out you love the change of pace they provide over other Irish whiskey. Cheers.

** This review transferred from the Barreled app. I bought 2 limited release Irish whiskies back at the end of the summer through Virginia's rare & limited release online program and finally decided to open the first one tonight: West Cork Black Reserve. It's a NAS Irish grain and malt blended whiskey that was finished for 6 months in double charred, first fill American bourbon barrels. It comes in at 86 proof and was limited to 4,800 total bottles. It was a very reasonable $40 online. First of all, I've got to applaud the fact this is whiskey produced by one of only two privately owned Irish distilleries. Score one for the little guy. The bearded hipster in me loves to support an underdog, lol. Anyway... It's a dark and rich, dirty copper in the glass and that leads me to believe it isn't as young as I expected. Double charred or not, it can't get this much color without spending a respectable amount of time in the oak. Giving it a spin unleashes a nice blast of oak, cinnamon and pepper on the nose. On the tongue, it's a delicious homage to American bourbon: big oak, pepper and a nice vanilla sweetness. It's incredibly smooth with a Scotch-like oily finish that hangs around for quite awhile. It's very solid when sipped neat and I have a feeling it would be good as a mixer with Coke, as well. The fact it's rather limited probably keeps it off of a lot of liquor store shelves and that's a shame. It's better than most run of the mill American bourbons and it's actually my favorite Irish whiskey to date. If you guys can find it, especially on the cheap, pick up a bottle and support the little guys doing big things over there in Ireland. The hipster in you would be proud haha. 4 stars. Cheers.

This review was transferred over from the Barreled app: So, it's been a bit of a rough weekend. I'm coming off of working the night shift and then I had the displeasure of picking up a 24-hour bug that has kept me couch bound, left debating the merits of old vs new game show hosts. I mean, come on, do I really need Bob Barker reminding me daily to mutilate my cat's reproductive organs? Yes, yes I do. I need a drink. Something strong. My cat eyes me ominously just beyond arms reach, but still stretches her back leg high to clean herself. Ugh, West Cork take me away... So, I have this bottle of a limited release whiskey from Irish distillery, West Cork. This one is a barrel strength offering, ironically called Barrel Proof, that's limited to 4,800 bottles and comes in a whopping 124 proof. I obtained it from the Virginia ABC online store for a very respectable $55. It's pale yellow and doesn't give up any leg action (unlike my cat) after a swirl in a dirty Glencairn glass. It's dirty because I'm drinking Irish whiskey and I know that's how they'd expect me to drink it (No Apologies to those offended). The nose is oak and sweet fruit. It'll burn a bit if you inhale too deeply. That first sip burns so good. If there's any bacterial virus left in my stomach it's about to be fried, of that I'm sure. There's a bit of citrus peel as it leaves the tongue, but it's mostly heat and oak. It's a 1/3 malt, 2/3 grain blend that was finished in ex-bourbon barrels so it is on the smoother side. The finish isn't as long as you'd expect, either. It's quite smooth for such a high proof. An American bourbon with this proof level would be burning like crazy, but this isn't. It's enjoyable. I do apologize to West Cork a bit for this review: grooming cats and stomach viruses aren't expected or even warranted in a review of their product, but dammit, that's the state I'm in so I have to run with it. I've had 2 West Cork's now and both are solid as hell. They are maybe the best Irish whiskies I've had to date. They are independently owned so that's a great reason to support them, too. If you see a bottle, buy it. Support the little guy once in awhile. 4 solid stars. Cheers, bros.

"** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. This is one of the newest releases from my favorite Irish distillery: West Cork. They are an independently owned distillery and have a nice selection of single malt, Irish whiskey. This bottle utilized ex-peated whisky casks that were re-charred and then used to age their base spirit. The whiskey was really smooth and had a nice charred oak flavor to go along with the typical vanilla and barley notes found in most of their offerings. My palate was a bit fried by this point and I didn’t get much, if any, peat flavor. The fact the casks were re-charred probably limited any peat smoke to a minuscule amount, but it was still a great whiskey that I’d love to get more of. I believe they are distributed here in Virginia so it’s just matter of waiting and hoping the get this Glengarriff Series here soon.

"** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. This was the only Japanese whisky I tried at the festival (somehow I missed the Hibiki table for the 17yo). This one was really complex and smooth- I remember it being chocolatey and peaty. There was sherried fruit as well. It didn’t register right away but as I was walking to the next booth it all arrived on the finish. I should’ve went back later for an extra bump, but I ran out of VIP time because I was chasing @Telex away from the HP booth girls. At least, that’s my story...

"** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. This was high on my list for the VIP hour and I’m glad I found my way to this table. This was a solid pour, even as the rep kept trying to get us to try the 15yo instead. He reluctantly poured the 25 and we quickly dashed before he got even more pushy. They were next to my favorite Irish whiskey- West Cork, and I wanted to try everything they brought, but he was hawking me and made me nervous so I had to bounce. Missed out on a couple of West Cork because of that creepy dude. I felt like Rodney Dangerfield when he would nervously pull at the collar of his shirt whenever he got surprised or felt uncomfortable, lol.

"** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. This was the first Irish whisky I tasted at the festival and it lived up to the hype: it was smooth and creamy while still having a nice flavor profile of vanilla, oak and a little heat. I’m glad @Generously_Paul told me to go get a pour before the VIP hour ended. It’s a quality malt and I’d like to try more from these guys. Maybe when our Scottish Distillery Tour ends and we begin the Irish version. Right, @PBMichiganWolverine, @Telex, @Scott_E?

"** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. After being slightly disappointed by the VIP pour of the OP 35 I eventually worked my way back to their booth to try the 25yo and the Navigator. This NAS was surprisingly good even though the heavier than expected salt and sea notes powered the malt while leaving behind a bit of soapiness hanging around longer than I’d have preferred. It was still mostly enjoyable and I’d like to try it again soon. The 25yo was the highlight from the OP booth. More on that one later.

** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. I’ve had some interest in opening and searching for these Macallan Edition series bottles, so I was kind of excited to try a sample of Edition 3 at the festival. The nose on this was incredible- tons of flavors, florals and oak. The flavor profile couldn’t, and didn’t, live up to the nose IMO. If I can’t locate a bottle of the first edition soon I’ll probably resort to opening the second and third versions. Maybe an entire bottle will prove to be more enjoyable than this sample ultimately was. Also, the Macallan booth had some very pretty ladies giving out the pours, but they sure were stingy, lol.

** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. I was looking to take full advantage of the VIP hour to try as many older, age statement whiskies as possible. This one was no exception. Some of the various Tullibardine cask finished whiskies are very good. This 25 had a nice flavor to it, but there seemed to be a shortage of depth and complexity here. It’s a tasty dram, I was just hoping for more- especially at the $230 price point. Hopefully I’ll get to try this one sometime in the near future.