Tastes

This is not my first dram of Connemara, but it's been awhile since I've had any...and this is better than I remember. The nose, while not particularly smoky, has the a certain commonality with an Islay dram (my mind goes to Laphroaig) - sweet vanilla, brine, olive, a certain vegetal quality. The palate doesn't put much smoke on display, but that briny, seabreezy, iodine-y, band-aidy peat quality is front and center, with a bright, sweet vanilla at the core. The finish is lightly drying, with (finally) a hint of smoke. I sure hope this is the rule, not the exception, for the entry level Connemara, because if it is, they've stepped up their game in some exciting ways.

To every man his Dew, as the old ads used to say. The story of the town of Tullamore's phoenix-like ascent from a disastrous fire is the inspiration for this spin on the classic Tullamore profile, and it is indeed a bit fiery - there's some young spirit nip (to be expected from an NAS), but beyond that there are appealing notes of cinnamon and clove to be found, all mixed in with vanilla creme, almond, dried fruit, and a lovely full, buttery mouthfeel. Being part of my Advent calendar, I'm unsure of price point here, so I can't speak to value, but it's an enjoyable dram with enough personality to make an impression.

Week Two of my Irish whiskey Advent gets kicked off by this offering. First, kudos for giving it an age statement despite its youth - they could have easily opted for some fancy marketing BS instead, but they didn't. And, it's worth saying, this is a mature-feeling eight year old whiskey - there's not a lot of new spirit burn present. That being said, it's a bit of a lightweight in ways both good and bad. Positively, it's refreshingly gentle - as bright and airy as a warm spring day, with the smell of hay and a few wildflowers on the breeze. However, the delicacy comes without much in the way of complexity or interesting flavors. It's the whiskey equivalent of a 71*F, sunny day in late May...sure, it's hard not to enjoy, but it's the kind of weather that doesn't feel like weather. There is no "there" there. One to add to my "happy to drink if given to me, unlikely ever to spend money on" file.

This is the ultimate cheap-n-cheerful Irish whiskey. Is it fancy? Hell no. Is it complex? Nope. Will you spend hours pondering its mysteries as you sit in your study, fire crackling, surrounded by leather bound books and old maps? Not on your life. Is this, however, a fantastically easy drinking whiskey that will be a hit at parties when you want something pleasant, but not distracting? Paddy'll get that job done for you. The very floral nose and the sugar cookie-like palate (with hardly any burn) are perfectly designed for the craic, so to speak. I can't really give this more than three stars, but it's great for what it is - a cheap, fun, relaxed whiskey for those moments when the drink in the glass is meant to be part of the ensemble cast rather than in a starring role.

This review is for the Irish Single Malt No. 1 Batch 2 - 13 Year Old bottled at 48.4% ABV. I was...a bit underwhelmed. The nose is practically nonexistent; there's a little fresh vanilla, chamomile, and coconut oil (I'm assuming American oak/ex-bourbon), but I had to work my nose around in the Glencairn to pick up anything. The palate is better, at least, with vanilla, peaches, and cinnamon...it's a bit like a peach cobbler a la mode. The ending has a bit more spirit burn than I'd expect for a 48% ABV bottling of a 13 year old whiskey; not unbearable, but there's a jaggedness present that I wasn't anticipating. Since this review is not for the actual listed bottling, I'm not entering an official rating, but...3 stars, and a low 3 stars at that.

Day Five of my Irish Whiskey Advent Calendar from Drinks By The Dram brings me this firecracker of a single malt. The nose comes in with a rush of green apple, Norwegian fruit soup (at least the little old church lady at my current call's version of it), and a distant hint of something a bit smoky. The palate is a real bruiser; the opening is fruity (reminds me of charoset - apple, raisin, nuts, cinnamon), but then in comes a strong note of barrel char (almost burning rubber, but in a good way), savory (mushroomy) malt, and a powerfully spicy ending reminiscent of a cinnamon candy like Red Hots. A complex, very enjoyable drop of whiskey!

First things first: I could smell my dram of this from a good 18 inches away or so...very powerfully fragrant, especially for an Irish whiskey. The nose is bursting with ripe apple, honey, malted grain, and white pepper. The palate is full and round, a lightly sweet affair of vanilla-tinged wort bread, Sauternes, lemon zest, a bit of apple, a nip of spice and salt, and a tiny hint of bitterness at the very end. Really quite pleasant, and a perfectly easygoing dram to wrap up the weekend.

Ahh, The Pogues. Being a solid 50% Irish, Scottish, and Scots Irish, these guys are my kind of punk. I remember rocking out to "The Sick Bed of Cuchullain" while spray-dyeing my hair green for St Paddy's in college, and it's not March 17th without a rousing, boozy rendition of "Streams of Whiskey." It would, however, still be my favorite day of the year without this whiskey, which is just kind of forgettable. The nose is muted with melon, pear, and vanilla; the palate is a bit more interesting, with the same fruit and vanilla mixed in with some oaky spice, but it's a light affair at a volume level better suited for The Cranberries than The Pogues. I wouldn't say no to a dram, but I wouldn't drop money on a bottle, either.

Another year, another whiskey Advent calendar! I can think of no better way to wait in stillness for the birth of Christ, personally...I can only imagine how much better St. Matthew's parable of the wise and foolish virgins would have been if it had concerned whiskey rather than lamp oil. Of course, the wise virgins may have been more willing to share whiskey than lamp oil to start the party, and depending on how much whiskey was consumed they may not have ended the night virgins...but I digress. Kinahan's 10 Year single malt is the lead-off sample in this year's Irish Whiskey Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Dram, and it's a solid starting point. Scott E called it - this is liquid banana nut bread on the nose, with a little vanilla frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The palate is cereal (I can roll with Grape Nuts) with sliced banana, vanilla creme, some light spices, a hint of mint, and that tiny, drying note of pipe tobacco right at the very end. An easygoing, enjoyable dram!

"Redbreast fans have long cherished our whiskey's sherry notes" says the audio commercial for this bottling, and...well, yes. The sherry-tinged quality of Redbreast is probably its best known trait. It plumps up the dram, giving it a rich, fruity, nutty roundness lacking in, say, Green Spot. And, in Redbreast's best iterations, it's a delight - I think about the 15 year old. This NAS (the youngest whiskey in the mix is 9 years old, or so I heard on WhiskyCast) is finished in first fill sherry casks..and things go from pleasantly round to REALLY plump. Like, me after my third piece of pie at Thanksgiving plump. The spicy, toasted bread pot still quality that dances with the sherry notes in the standard bottlings is lost here; instead, there's almond, marzipan, a medley of dried fruit. There's more "young spirit" nip here than in the age statement versions, but it's far from the worse NAS offender on this front. I've vacillated on a rating; I settled on a high three stars since it's an enjoyable dram, but not quite up to the high standards I hold for Redbreast.