McConnell's Irish Whisky 5 Year

Pale yellow color. The legs are par for the course. The aroma is vanilla cake frosting and non-dairy coffee creamer. Musty wood. Some broccoli and cabbage water sulfurics. There is a chemical magic marker scent, or jet-black car exhaust fumes. The taste is vanilla, the same creamy cake frosting. Just a hint of lemon drop. I'm getting a sort of menthol coolness, with an ashy tobacco smoke following close behind. It's dark and dry, like burnt charcoal briquettes. The finish is astringent and metallic. There are barrel tannins galore. Salt and white pepper, charred cigar box wood and a dry, chalky feel. Charred wood and tobacco ash with more minty coolness. There is a distinctively inky finish too, like a pen you were chewing that exploded in your mouth. McConnell's is a decent, nicely-priced Northern Irish offering. It's got a dry, ashy quality that is tempered by some vanilla sweetness. It improves slightly with a big ice cube to smooth out some of the sharper edges.

Quite drinkable. Light apple and sugar, very little oakiness, hint of smoke, slightest heat at the end

Weak yet pleasant palate with strong caramel scents on the nose. Finish somewhat unremarkable.

For the price point, I don't think it can be beat. Classic bottle design is an added bonus.