Powers John's Lane Release 12 Year

I've got an irish or two to add some notes on here, this one was one that a friend just keeps raving about and I saw it at a store I get credit for buying bottles at and for 65 bucks I said, why not. Throw in I had an expensive car repair, and the itch to buy new bottles is much less damaging to my wallet with this one. I'll just add, almost certainly colored but non chill filtered. Nose - So the first thing that pops into my head is bubble gum and a light touch of "stone" fruits (a stolen tasting note). The more I dig in the more I think of that white powder on the bubble gum that used to be in baseball cards. After that I get a touch of a spice and a bit of unfinished cut oak. Taste - So right off the bat there's this butter and vanilla driven sweetness from first fill bourbon casks. The whisky then gives off very distinct notes of irish unmalted barely which I can only describe as grainy and a bit unrefined. The whisky then transitions to a very pleasant spice, which I will say when I first opened this, it was a bit much on the spice so i'm not sure if my prior dram has softened me to this, but I'm finding the spice much more enjoyable and less of a "bit much" right now. There's a hint of chocolate and there's a bit of a sherry fruit element, it's soft and subtle but those sherry cask are just barely saying hi. The finish I get the classic irish smooth and mellow cream and soft oak finish. The only other thing I got when I really swirled this around in my mouth and let the whisky saturate everything was a hint of grape fruit on the finish. This is something I get often on these 10-14 year old mostly bourbon cask whiskies, but this is a first on an irsh vs a scotch. I rather like that finishing note myself. I'll be blunt, this one blew me away for the price and frankly for being 46% and irish. I wasn't expecting much. I honestly think this is about as nice an irish whisky that you can get for the money and it's a darn good 12 year old whisky in general. 2.5 score. I know that might seem low but wowing me from the price isn't the same as being a wow whisky. This is a very nice pour, and frankly any 12 year old irish being over a 2.0 is a real accomplishment. A really well made product at an affordable price.

The nose is starting to get to me... overripe fruits. Almost spoiled it.

N: Vanilla cream with peaches and pears. Some more tropical (mango) and floral scents emerge, maybe even a hint of banana. As it opens, a cereal note blends in with the fruit and kinda comes across as Fruit Loops, just subtler. Fun. Light ethanol seems ever-present - not enough to numb you, but can't escape it either. P: Cold (menthol?) stone fruit drops on you first. Then it gets supple and oily - like mixing whipped cream and olive or peanut oil (texture, not flavor), and yet somehow it works. There's a salty bread in there too. The fruit moves toward tropical and soft, ripe pear over time. Spices build through the pour: cinnamon early, moving to black pepper for sec, then settling at mild chili pepper. And that finish lingers for quite some time. I threw one ice cube at it (as I do almost always) and I think, more than most whiskeys, this evolved as it warmed and diluted. Worth trying that. I think there are slightly better, more complicated Irish single pot still whiskeys out there, but barely. A fascinating dram on the whole.

A dark and brooding whisky, with a nose of overripe bananas, and maple syrup. Thick on the palate, darker fruits show. Medium finish, with a built up burn after a couple sips. Definitely a thinking whisky, perfect for outdoors, cold winter nights.