Clontarf 1014 Blended Irish Whiskey

Nose: Light. Vanilla sweetness, orchard fruits and warming spices. Like apple pie and cinnamon. Palate: sweetness, spices. Finish: sweet, spicy. Nutty(?). Little dryness.

Söt doft, oklart fruktig. Frida hittar päron på näsan direkt. Hittar inte jättemycket på första smaken. Mitt i munnen går det åt vaniljhållet. Eftersmaken är ganska händelselös. I övrigt ua.

I am doing a side-by-side comparison of a few Irish mid-shelf whiskies. All are being poured neat. First up is Clontarf. Apparently it is 15% pot still and 85% grain (corn), is charcoal filtered, and aged in first fill bourbon barrels. Distiller rates it at 80, and whiskeyreviewer gives it a C+. I give it a C. It is smooth and heavy on vanilla, but is rather non-descript. It doesn't taste "Irish," but could pass for an average Canadian or American blend with no rye in the mash bill. I purchased a bottle of this three years ago and could not remember exactly what I thought of it; so, I decided to try it again. I have found it not to be memorable again. It's not bad, and probably would be a good mixer; but it simply is not a great sipper for me.