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Waterford Peated Fenniscourt 1.1
Distiller Score 85
The peat aroma is more earthy and dried herbs rather than mossy and briny. There's some rubber in there as well as some toasted oak and moderate intensity of golden raisins and banana. The palate brings forth some nutty barley and a tangy, light sweetness. The whisky feels slightly slick on the palate and the peat smoke surrounds the whisky with the underlying fruit note peaking its head through. The mix use of barrels is nice here as the barrel spices come through without too much vanilla or dried fruits. It's quite balanced given its relative youthfulness and it shows quite a bit of variety for the drinker to enjoy on the daily.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Teeling Single Cask Single Malt Oloroso Finish
Distiller Score 90
The nose offers big spice, with nuttiness, dark red fruits, and toffee, showcasing a mix of its bourbon and sherry cask heritage. More of the same on the palate, with spicy and peppery notes leading the charge in front of vanilla, nuts, and honey. A big, bold finish resonates with spicy and woody notes, backed up by sherry and raisin.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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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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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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Connemara Turf Mór
Distiller Score 82
After a first kick of peat on the nose, this whiskey becomes more complex and displays more apples and pears. Almost cidery on the palate, this is a medium weighted whiskey that is very fruity and peated at the same time. Smooth on the palate even at nearly 60% ABV, it is quite pleasant. After a second sip, more flavours are cutting through, like vanilla and dry tobacco leaves, along with the initial pear/apple and peat. Somehow this is a Janus whiskey, always balancing between the two sides of its profile, smooth and peated.
Reviewed by Julien Le Doaré
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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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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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A Drop of the Irish Sherry Cask Finish (Blackadder)
Distiller Score 88
The first whiff of this whiskey will have you wondering if this is really an Irish spirit. Sweet tobacco and toffee take the reins to guide you in. The first sip is punchy, full of rich spiciness, charred wood, and that beautiful sherry finish. It finishes strong with sea salt and smoky dark chocolate. Blackadder has bottled a spirit for the complex whiskey lover to pick apart.
Reviewed by Nicole Gilbert
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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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Bushmills Distillery Exclusive Acacia Wood
Distiller Score 83
Herbal honey on the nose with lavender, Seville oranges, butterscotch, and fudge. The palate has a mix of richness with a sharper, astringent side from the acacia, along with orange and lemon peels, incense, white pepper, and a hit of baking spices. The finish showcases toffee with a continuing blend of citrus, spice, and wood, and a flourish of fiery cinnamon a la Red Hots.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Teeling Brabazon Single Malt Series 1
Distiller Score 87
Not your typical sherry bomb, the nose is much more subtle than expected, boasting notes of roasted nuts, toffee, apricot marmalade, kumquat chutney and cookie dough. Now in mouth, it feels deliciously sweet but still vibrant with juicy orchard fruits, hazelnut biscuits, citrus, blood orange, cloves, ginger and star anise. The finish is medium with something slightly vegetal and wood spices.
Reviewed by Anne-Sophie Bigot
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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