Pearse Distillers Choice Aged 7 Years

Adding this to the app only because the older version of Distillers Choice has a slight variation in ABV, cask type, and age statement. Another visit to the Town Branch distillery, and I find out that they're very heavily importing and selling products from their sister distillery in Ireland, which I absolutely love. I purchased this and the mediterranean-inspired gin, after trying absolutely everything, of course. I was extremely happy at the price point here, especially when it was on a shelf next to American whiskeys with exuberant price tags. I don't remember much about the taste, other than it having an expected light body, but also an unexpected punch of smoke. Either way, it now sits next to my bottle of Pearse Lyons Reserve (I still regret not getting the barrel strength version, although I'm fairly certain neither exist anymore), and makes for a good start to the Pearse collection. A very light color, not quite out of the ordinary, but a bit lighter than 7 years in bourbon barrels should be, so maybe the sherry, even though it's just small butts (not my type), is more of an impact to the color than previously thought. I can start to smell this from across the table, with potency of a cask strength whiskey as opposed to an almost minimum proof. Inside the glass (at this point, my damn air freshener went off, so now all I smell is peonies or some shit) are notes of caramel, cereal, some biscuit, and just a bit of bonfire smoke, again on a much higher ethanol burn than should be for this proof. The scent really and truly blends together notes of a bourbon and a fully sherry barrel aged Irish whiskey. The initial flavors are weak and take a few extra seconds to kick in, but after getting past the low proof and light body, you're rewarded with some caramel covered biscuits, honey, and cereal, as found in more traditional Irish whiskeys, but is slightly more concentrated here. This really only lasts a second, though, when a huge hit of smoke takes over the palate, creating both a nice mouth burn as well as helping to smooth out and blend the aforementioned flavors. The smoke is definitely close to a peat flavor, but also has notes of tobacco or simply burnt oak. The finish is quite long, as both the smoke and earlier sweet flavors slowly drift out, but the smoke lasting much, much longer. This really is a fantastic blend for an Irish whiskey. I really find it hard to believe that specific bourbon barrels are truly enough to give this it's smoky vibe, but if so, find this very impressive, and would love to know who's barrels are responsible. This isn't, however, a blend I would recommend to just anyone; I think even a novice can detect the harsher smoke flavors, and want to steer clear of them in favor of a sweeter, milder Irish whiskey. However, if you're tired of the same sherry-inspired flavors of bread, cereal, and biscuit, this is a perfect stepping stone into enjoying some that's different enough, but still true to it's roots. I'd be cautious to try a cask strength version of this, but would still go for it without question. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for the 12 year version of this, and hoping that the price point of that is just as gracious as this!