Clontarf 1014 Blended Irish Whiskey

This is a high 3, nearly a 4, as my dram of Clontarf was a faithful companion to my Christmas Eve sermon writing here at my local Irish pub. It ticks all the Irish whiskey boxes - honey sweetness, a bit of clovers floral notes, some spice, a little apple compote, slightly bitter green notes from the unmalted barley, and a bready chassis that reminded me of waffles more than bread. Not bad, but also not likely to become my go-to Irish whiskey, either.

Very light. Not bad.

Lately I've been finding that most bottom shelf Irish whiskies taste the same. At $20 though I'd take it over the rest. This one is easily drinkable, yet loses its edge as it opens up over time, and totally falls apart on the finish. Slight spice, certainly vanilla sweetness. A touch of lemon...and maybe banana. I dunno...maybe I'm just bananas myself.