Killowen 10 Year Hungarian Oak Finish (Bonded Experimental Series)

Like a buttery abunadh

“Send in the virgins!” cask finished whiskey. Reading more about this and this is more than the than a Hungarian finish. Take their Irish blend, 75/5 + 20 (Grain and malted) plus 20 North Ireland malted. Starts in ex-bourbon casks, then finished is Sherry butts. Blended with another Irish single malt aged in ex-bourbon. All this is finally finished in Virgin Hungarian Oak. A lot of blending and mixing; hence the experiment. Does all that experimentation over ten years produce an outstanding or worthwhile whiskey? I don’t know yet. As I was prefacing this tasting with these words, the pour has been opening. A gentle fruity sweetness on the nose. Apple crumb pie with a dusting of cinnamon. A La mode vanilla bean ice cream right alongside. Ethanol vapors do obscure the nice aroma. Toasted coconut and orange (but that artificial type like a lollipop or Italian ice), and fresh pears. Earthy, worn leather. Deep in the recesses is cedar grilling wraps and honey drizzle. Unlike the gentle aroma, the palate is harsh and biting because of the strength at 52.5%. That artificial orange coats the palate with cinnamon and clove. I struggle to extract other flavors as it may need water to loosen up. Well, water definitely softens the raw bite and becomes a bit more approachable. Caramel apples, burnt marshmallows, grilled pears, walnuts. Towards the fade into the finish, maraschino cherries flavor appears, almost out of nowhere. It offers a nice little twist. That artificial orange transforms to oranges (like the common pub Old Fashioned with the muddled orange and cherry) as it forms finishes. Oak, charcoal and back to that earthy leather. A nice balanced finish that you hope won’t fade quickly and rewardingly is doesn’t. The nose is one of the better noses. The cask strength, raw whiskey shields the hidden flavors. Water really does this a favor. An un-Irish Irish whiskey. I do get a sense that this whiskey is restrained and holds more flavor that needs to be pushed out. Maybe it’s more time finishing needed. Or maybe it’s just me unable to identify those other flavors. But what I can taste or detect is good, with a touch of water. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample. [86/100][Tasted: 9/16/22]

Rating: 17/23 I haven't tried Hungarian oak before, but I've been wanting to for quite some time. I expect it to be a lot like French oak, which honestly isn't my favorite, but really isn't bad either. N: A bit young with some kind of undercooked meat to it. But restrained undercooked meat. A little sweetness or something somewhere, but that's about it. P: Mizunara?! I didn't see that coming. It has that sandalwood flavor and nice sweetness with restrained vanilla. This could be the result of a combination of oak flavors and not the Hungarian oak all on its own, but it's very interesting and quite tasty! Some nice coconut that isn't super oily and bold ,but definitely comes in. I do get youthfulness with light grain, ethanol, and that usual Irish whiskey oiliness. There are also some harsh spices, which isn't great. But there's also a little nectarine nectar, which is just delightful. I also get some surprising coffee flavor in here at points. F: That sandalwood sure lingers. Also, the coffee sticks around. And so do the burning spices and odd oily Irish whiskey flavor. - Conclusion - This is an odd one. It doesn't quite stick the landing, but it really does quite nicely with some very interesting flavors. It's a little immature, but I'd love to try an older, more refined version of this. I haven't been too impressed by Killowen so far, but this one really changes my mind. To compare that mizunara blast, I pulled out my bottle of The Shin 10 (16/23). The Shin is peated and a bit funkier, but it really highlights that sandalwood profile. There's more sulphur to The Shin though, making it less appealing. It also has a more bitter profile to the sandalwood. Honestly, it tastes cheap in comparison to this - there's just such a decadent purity here that it doesn't match (though that does also result in more alcohol flavor coming through). A couple more sips of The Shin and this is no longer a crushing defeat for it. Some more vegetal and herbal notes come out amid smoky nuance as the sulphur subsides. I'd still take this, but it's not such a clear victory. Nikka From the Barrel (/23) is richer and malter and more decadent than this is. The Nikka is at least a high 17 though and it might even be an 18 that I underrated. The gist though is that the Nikka is better than this is. It doesn't have that same unique blast to it, but it's just a better quality dram. How far below it is this though? Well, Highland Park 16 Wings of the Eagle (17/23) has some funky smoke and bourbon decadence and perhaps a little too much boldness. I'm finding this to be pretty competitive based on its decadence - though it definitely shows more alcohol and is less complex. McIvor 17 (16/23) has some nice decadence, but it isn't on the same level as this. I think I have to go with a 17 here, though I could be convinced of a 16. Really, I could go either way on this one, but I'm thinking it's a low 17. This is a really nice dram and a great demonstration of Hungarian oak and (hopefully) Killowen's skill and potential. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for giving me this to try!

The nose starts with fresh out of the oven cinnamon apple streusel, a mild tartness of lemon zest and light sweet floral from honeysuckle then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and toasted marshmallow followed by caramelized pears, cherry pie filling and orange blossom that transitions to light baking spices, leather and polished oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a mild sourness that quickly fades to apple cider simmering with a whole cinnamon stick and cloves then a mild tartness of sautéed gooseberries and light sweet floral from honeysuckle before dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and toasted marshmallow followed by caramelized pears, maraschino cherries and lightly charred orange peel that transitions to light baking spices, leather and polished oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with cinnamon apple streusel, dark chocolate orange, toasted marshmallow, leather and polished mahogany. Wow, this is a tasty dram with a wonderful mix of baked citrus, sweet florals, chocolate and toasted oak that the Hungarian virgin oak cask seems to have really polished most of the youthful sour flavors out with a near perfect balance with a sweet and toasty finish. Damnit Killowen, I was just complaining about your inconsistent quality on how your products can be either sensational or down right underwhelming and this is yet another case, but this one is the opposite of the last one I tried and is sensational. I still don’t think this justifies the premium price tag of $90 for a 375ml bottle, but if this was half the cost, I’d happily pick up a bottle. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample of this one to try.