Powers John's Lane Release 12 Year

My first real taste of Irish whiskey and its a belter 👌 oily, buttery, full mouthfeel with sweet vanilla, shortbread and green apple. Finish is quite hot and a tad spicy. Lingers too. Smooth and very moreish.

This is a no-age-statement Irish whiskey. Color is pale straw (not sure if the caramel coloring was added), and the ABV is 46%, which gives the dram some medium viscosity. Nose is light, with a touch of malt, dust, caramel, and floral character, pretty typical for a single pot still triple-distilled Irish whiskey. The palate is a bit rough, with sharp arrival, some sweet notes, a touch of honey, lots of vanilla, and a touch of chocolate on the back. Finish is medium length, with some chocolate notes, more vanilla, and perhaps a touch of dried fruits. Not bad, but nothing complex here. A touch of water makes it much better. By the way, I see a touch of mist in the glass - has this been non-chill-filtered (it does not state so on the bottle)? The nose gets more floral character, the palate becomes sweeter with raisins, sultanas, pears, and citrus aftertones. The finish drops quite a bit of that vanilla, and changes to a more fruit-forward character. I would recommend adding water to this one for sure. Overall, this is a pretty light-bodied, but easily drinkable dram presented at decent ABV. Though I would have loved to see the age statement on this one, i can live without it. If I was to guess, I’d say maybe 5-6 years? Would I buy this again? Probably not, there are so many options out there that offer a much better bang for your buck in terms of complexity and enjoyment, but it’s not bad.

I normally stick to bourbon but I got a few samples of this at axe tonight. Delicious and very drinkable!