McKenzie Irish style whiskey distillery only

Rating: 8/23 N: Minerals, citrus with an alcohol bit like in a cheap vodka, jicama. I'm not a fan of this. It's weird and funky like Ransom The Emerald, but it smells lighter with more flaws. P: It burns immediately. Spice, jicama, that ethanoly lemon, a bit of apple. It's medium-to-thin, but also a bit chalky and it tears the tastebuds off of my tongue a little bit. Something kind of earthy and spicy, like some sort of chili pepper, but not too spicy. Ah, I get it now. What's bothering me so much right here is that flavor cherry wood imparts that I describe as mushroomy. It's bitter, earthy, and vegetal. There is a sort of grainy layer in here that I like a little, but there isn' much I enjoy here. F: Oil and jicama, mostly. Perhaps a hint of lemon and a faint burn. Some of that chili still. Mushroom. - Conclusion - Side by side, Ransom The Emerald crushes this. I can't say I really love either though. OK, so the more I have of this, the more I appreciate it. The earthy flavors become more complex and interesting. Does it taste Irish? Absolutely not. I'd have guessed some sort of barrel-aged twice distilled potato vodka or something. Although this is very interesting, I don't think that it is that good overall, unfortunately, I like how it builds in complexity, but it's too young with too many off-notes. A 10 would be generous here and a 6 would be overly harsh. It isn't a great comparison, bit I think I prefer Glendalough Double Barrel a little bit. Not a lot, but enough to put this at an 8. I came back the next day and liked this a little more, but not a lot more. I considered as high as a 10 and seriously considered a 9, but I stuck with an 8. Thank you @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this! It's been interesting trying some American whiskeys made in an Irish style. Unfortunately, it seems that I'm not much of a fan of Irish whiskey and I'm even less of a fan of American attempts to replicate it.

This is a single barrel distillery only exclusive that was aged for 4 years and bottled at 49.9% that a sample was very generously provided by @PBMichiganWolverine. The nose starts with a pan filled with apple cider simmering on the stove top along with a freshly prepared bowl of cinnamon apple instant Quaker Oats followed by some light barrel spices and slight hint of oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with poached pears, apple cider simmering with a whole cinnamon stick then creamy Quaker Oats, some light barrel spices and slight hint of oak with low ethanol burn finishing short with cinnamon apple instant Quaker Oats, light barrel spices and hint of oak. This is an uncomplicated and very easy to sip on whiskey with no offensive flavors and tastes very similar to some 10 to 12 year old Scotches for only being 4 years old. I really enjoyed it as it reminds me of weekend oatmeal breakfasts as a child during the winter and just brings a smile to my face.

The benefit of visiting a distillery is trying something unique that’s not available anywhere else. That is the main appeal for whiskey nerds ( like myself paying a visit to Finger Lakes Distilling ), while normal folk shrug that off ( like the rest of my family who patiently waited in the tasting room while I sampled 10+ whiskeys ). This one here is a single barrel Irish style , which is in essence a mix of malted and unmalted barley. But the curve ball here is the small amount of oats added to the mash as well. Drinks much older than 4 yrs…and those oats add a creaminess that takes it a notch above normal Irish whiskeys. It’s also less fruit forward than typical Irish, but more on an earthy complexity —almost like a cross between Highlands, Irish, and Cambeltown. Out of the 10 whiskeys and liqueurs I sampled, this stood out the most…enough for me to buy a bottle