Knappogue Castle 12 Year Bourbon Cask Matured

I try to keep a few expressions of every kind of whiskey at home at any given time for variety’s sake and I must admit that I bought this to round out my collection, the reviews were favorable, and I didn’t feel like paying $85 for Yellow Spot (though I’m sure it’s lovely). It’s rumored that Knappogue Castle sources their spirit from Old Bushmills, which is perfectly fine with me because who doesn’t like Bushmills? This dram is also on my radar only because I was watching Ralfy review the Bushmills 10 and recommend this dram over that (bless you Ralfy for all the good work you do from one malt mate to another). The Distiller review hits this one on the head. Easy to drink with Irish triple distilled smoothness and a bouquet of honey on the nose. The palate gives you this caramel, nougaty taste (no doubt from the bourbon barrels. What did they do before bourbon barrels in Scotland and Ireland I wonder...). The finish is smooth and satisfying, the way you expect a Irish whiskey to be. All together a highly agreeable dram with a 12 year age statement. I’m bumping up my score a bit for the elegant and stylish bottle design as well. A great value for a quality single malt from an independent bottler if you can find it. Cheers!

Light with a slight bit of smoke and peat. A competitor with Ardmore but not as good

Nose: shortbread, oak, pear Taste: cream, vanilla, lemon Finish: dry, candied sweetness After reading reviews: I don’t get the menthol note, not sure if this is exactly what I was drinking - ordered in a bar and couldn’t see the bottle well