Tastes

Another Advent has come to an end. The hymns have been sung, the candles lit, timeless stories told...and now, the tired pastor is home. This was waiting for me, the final dram of this year's Advent calendar. It was worth the wait. Delightfully complex on both the nose and palate, stone fruit and pastry notes weave between puffs of diesel smoke. Lightly drying, and yet still rich; robust and oily, and yet still delicate and intricate. It somehow manages to dance between opposite poles with grace...it somehow feels a perfect whiskey for a night spent contemplating the strange miracle of incarnation. Worth all the effort to seek it out.

December 23rd is Clergy Family Christmas, at least for us. The next two days will be far too busy, so I spent a good chunk of time in the kitchen prepping our annual feast- salad, roast duck, root vegetables cooked in the duck fat, and rice pudding. Now that the food's eaten, the dishes washed, and the presents opened, I find a quiet moment for the penultimate dram in my Advent calendar. And, it is no slouch. I am greeted by a rich nose, itself a feast: toasted brioche, vanilla creme patissiere, lightly toasted almond, apricot glaze. The palate is warming rather than hot, with the initial attack of fruit compote opening into vanilla and almond pastry sprinkled lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg. The ending lingers, vanilla and spice along with a bit of spirit-y heat. To all a good night indeed!

Quiet is an appropriate adjective here, as I don't have a lot to say. It's solid, comforting, easygoing Irish blended whiskey...and a good one, at that, but there's not enough individual personality here to be memorable. I'd never say no to a dram, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it, either.

I've been trying to come up with something witty here, but this is just solid, good whiskey. Similar to the frankly disappointing single cask Teeling I had a while ago, there is a distinct white peach fruitiness here, but unlike that release (a white port cask), there is much more going on here. The dram evolves in the glass - an immense topsoil note presents itself immediately...a really deep earthiness. With a few minutes to breathe, this retreats and allows that fruitiness, along with woodiness, marshmallow-like sweetness and vanilla. This is a standout in the world of Irish whiskey, quite distinctive and and a testament to how Teeling's usage of unique barrels (I had to look up pineau de Charent) can yield memorable results.

It is the last "chilly, but not super cold" night in the forecast here for a while. My Advent calendar, now in the home stretch, served up this little treat...and it is a good companion for a cold, but not bitterly cold, night. The usual Irishman suspects are to be found - namely, a fruit basket's worth of flavors and aromas, woody spice (and definitely woody - there's enough barrel char present to make that clear), a honey-like viscosity, a little hint of vanilla. It's not complex, and I wish the finish lingered around for longer (much like perfect early winter nights), but this is a respectable workhorse of a dram worthy of my ancestors' name. If nothing else, it'll take the chill right out of your bones when you've just had to walk the garbage down to the end of your 1/8 mile driveway...

It's a sign of our times that I wanted to make a Roy Moore joke about the age of this dram, but I'll refrain. This dram is a perfectly gentle, pleasant spot of whiskey - the Distiller tasting notes are in keeping with my own experience, though I'd add pear skin (yes, specifically the skin...that fruity, yet slightly tannic and dry sensation you get from a pear with a thick skin) to the finish. It brings things to a tight finish, after the green apples, hay, light vanilla, and honey work their magic. Very nice indeed; definitely shouldn't be banned from your local mall! I mean, what?

This is a solid, reliable drop of Irish whiskey. Vanilla, coconut, spice, spearmint, and mandarin orange and licorice on the finish. This seems a little young yet, with more nip and burn than can be written off as "spicy" from barrel influence. Enjoyable, but it needs a little more time to grow into its potential.

It's snack time at the movies on the nose here - specifically, chocolate covered raisins and peanuts. If you like those peach and vanilla gummy chews, you can find a hint of that in the nose, too. The palate is appealingly fruity with plenty of white peach, crunchy cereal (Grape Nuts?), and surprisingly little sherry influence. Enjoyable, if not spectacular.

This note is actually for the 2015 release, not 2017. This is good stuff. The usual Irish notes are there - vanilla, apple, toasty bread, a bit of jam - but there is an appealing herbal savoriness to the dram, like fresh sage. For a cask strength whiskey, there is hardly any burn to speak of - a bit of a kick, but nothing too harsh. I continue to be impressed by Walsh Whiskey's output - Writer's Tears and The Irishman line have yet to disappoint. It'll be fun to see what they're able to release as their stock continues to age!

THIS is the kind of single grain whiskey I could drink anytime. The nose came off a bit shy at first, but a few turns in the glass churned up floral notes, spice, and a bit of vanilla. I was unsure of what was coming on the palate, and for as quiet as the nose seemed, this is a bold affair for a single grain. Toasted bread, oatmeal, raspberry jam, buttery vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. It's like the best kind of cold weather breakfast was condensed into whiskey. Really nicely done, and for less than $50 a bottle, it's a good value.