Dingle Single Malt Batch No. 4

Light amber colored pour brings a nose full of tropical fruit notes - orange is particularly prevalent to me, but also some hints of peach and pear. Otherwise, a floral bouquet that is lively, along with a non-zero burst of ethanol...this would be easily identified as an Irish if nosing blind, as it is soft at the core, but has some tendrils of boldness on the edges. Flavor is quite different from many other Irish pours...the citrus is present, and there's a general sweetness that coats the palate quickly, but it is a bit brash at points, which is probably why this is a somewhat polarizing pour from what I can gather. Peppery notes, some cinnamon, apricot nectar, and some bourbon-like wood and vanilla are all available, though not always at the same time. Of the bourbon, sherry and port cask aging, the bourbon and sherry are more prevalent than the port, at least to my middle-aged palate. I really enjoy this whiskey...and I'm quite content with the somewhat steep price, but 100% get why this is not the pour for everyone...its a 'bring down from the shelf every few months' type whiskey...as opposed to, say, Redbreast 12...

Ripe fruits on the nose, a bit sour. Spicy and hot, a hint of vanilla.

The nose starts with a mild sour and bitter mix of light sulfur, sour red berries, Concord grapes and plantains then roasted hazelnuts and chocolate covered strawberries followed by a creamy vanilla pudding that transitions to candied ginger, cloves and Angel food cake with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting creamy with sweet citrus that quickly veers towards a mild sour and bitter spice that slowly fades to cherry pie, sour apple and dehydrated figs that transitions to pickled ginger, cloves and ashy oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with campfire ashes, chocolate covered espresso beans, orange zest, sour cherries and toasted marshmallow. Overall, this is an interesting one with the red berries, grapes and creamy sweetness, but it leans too heavily on those sour and bitter notes for me to really enjoy it. I hear good things about Dingle and would like to try some of their other offerings, but this one was sadly a disappointment for me. A huge thank you to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

Nose - grilled peach, apricot, fig, toffee, vanilla, orange, sultana, milk chocolate, hazelnut, mint, strawberry, sweet floral notes, straw, cinnamon, nutmeg, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - apricot, fig, peach, mint, cherry, butterscotch, sultana, sweet floral notes, cinnamon, ginger, orange, lemon oil, chocolate, ash, chili pepper, spicy oak, pineapple, mango, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sweet stone fruit, baking spice, strong citrus, and spicy chili pepper flavors. I’ve been interested in trying Dingle for a long time now. It’s a very small distillery, producing only about four casks a day. Some of their past releases were hyped and became close to unattainable. This fourth batch is the first I’ve seen in the stores near here. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gotten the same love some of the older releases did. The nose is very fruit-forward and juicy. Stone fruit, strawberry, sultana, and fig dominate, no doubt due to the sherry and port cask influences. The palate is rather sour and spicy. The fruits are still very much in the mix, but more citrus, pepper, and an interesting ashy note present. This is giving me strong American Single Malt vibes. Specifically, this drinks like a spicier, more sour Balcones Lineage. And I like the Lineage slightly more. The dominant citrus and background ash produce an almost metallic note that dampens an otherwise positive experience. I opened the bottle a few days ago, so maybe some of this will work itself out in the next couple months. I’ll check back in later, but for now this is good but not great. And at $90 a bottle, that’s pretty disappointing.

The cask finishes come through strongly here. Not as good as Batches 1 or 2, but still a solid whiskey. The alcohol wafts can overpower other flavour notes. Drink less, it’s more.