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Yellow Spot 12 Year Single Pot Still
Distiller Score 96
The wine barrels have certainly shown influence on this whisky with a juicy red fruit filled nose and palate. Hidden in between the layers of fruit you'll discover a taste you may recognize if you've ever eaten Ferrero Rocher chocolate hazelnut candies. As you continue to taste, the fruity flavors deepen into toffee, dried Clementine, and bitter walnuts. This is less creamy than the Green Spot and finishes with a gentle bite from the proof.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Bushmills 21 Year Single Malt
Distiller Score 97
As Veruca Salt would say, "I want it now!" With the intensity of the sweet fruit and chocolate notes on the nose, could you blame her? The trail mix filled dram also has deep malt flavors with the texture creamy, not cloying. Towards the finish, the whiskey becomes dry and spicy. A comparable Scotch whisky would be almost double the price so snatch up what you can
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Teeling Silver Reserve 21 Year Single Malt
Distiller Score 93
Tropical fruits hit the senses with this whiskey, mango perhaps? Cooked banana? These notes continue on the palate with a bit of dried ginger, fresh grass, and pastry dough. Depending on your palate, this may be too fruit-forward for you, but I'd suggest trying this with a cheese plate for your dessert.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Bushmills 16 Year Single Malt
Distiller Score 92
The fragrance on the nose is quite intense with dried fruit and nuts due to the wine finishes on most of the whiskey. Oatmeal raisin cookies, nuts, a dose of dark chocolate, these are all presented on a silver platter. There is an amiable amount of char smoke throughout the dram.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Jameson 18 Year Limited Reserve
Distiller Score 89
Amber honey is what you smell, but it is also what you see as the color of the whiskey. On the mid palate you are given more sweets in caramel and sugared cereal tastes but there's a touch of oil as well. The finish winds up on the bitter side with cocoa nibs and walnut husks.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Knappogue Castle 16 Year Sherry Cask Finished
Distiller Score 87
The nose clues us in on the sherry barrels with nutty and raisin-y aromas with an almost rancio, rummy note as well. The fruit stays with you on the palate along with maple syrup, lemon flavored tea, and coffee grounds. The whiskey finishes dry and bitter, but has a sufficient length.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Tyrconnell 10 Year Madeira Cask Finish
Distiller Score 91
The wine finish has provided for a salty and fruit filled nose with pears and baked apples. The palate is slick with sweet fruit and chewy malt and the finish is filled with cinnamon.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Jameson Gold Reserve
Distiller Score 86
The nose is full of rich honey and toasted barley. The virgin oak really influences this dram more than the sherry with notes of butterscotch, vanilla, and buttered Southern biscuits. The finish has a small dose of wood spices and tea.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Redbreast 15 Year
Distiller Score 88
The nose is still filled with toast and honey, but this time there is a lemon bitterness as well. The wood spices also speak a little louder in the 15 year than in the 12 year with a pleasant bite at the finish.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Writers' Tears Cask Strength (2014 Release)
Distiller Score 88
The aroma is filled with toasted malt, barrel spices, and a hint of dark chocolate. The palate is creamy and has tastes of dark honey, beef jerky, and shortbread cookies. The sweet and savory notes play nicely off each other with the finish warming and lengthy.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength
Distiller Score 92
Perhaps it's the suggestion of its provenance, but there is a distinct Irish soda bread thing happening. Biscuity, mildly sweet, ever so slightly salty, with a pleasant tang of dried fruits like apricots and raisins. Finishes with sweet spices, a hint of lemon and some vanilla, with some toast and nuttiness present from the sherry cask aging.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Bushmills 1608 Anniversary Edition
Distiller Score 90
The charred oak ex-bourbon barrels used to age Bushmills always lend a degree of toastiness to the flavor. It's there coupled with an impressive creamy smoothness and flavors of scones, honey, malty cereal and butter. So basically, it tastes like breakfast!
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster