Sheelin White Chocolate

An elegant, cream liqueur by R.A. Merry in Tipperary Ireland made with a grape wine base, cream & natural flavors. It has an aromatic birth with notes of cream with grape wine, nuts & chocolate; while a rich & full life adds notes of white chocolate, cream & coconut; that led to a silky death of medium length with a hint of Grappa. October 2016 / December 2021

what you would expect

Rating: 10/23 N: Sweet grape mixed with a milkiness (whole milk) that might be white chocolate, but lacks that vanilla scent that I associate with real white chocolate (since most real white chocolate has vanilla mixed in). A big bite of vodka. It's spicy, but in a harsh, somewhat industrial way. P: A bit of sweet grape flavor. Like a sweet brandy, but lower proof; not the dryness of most wines. So I guess like one of those weird sweet (not dessert) red wines that are usually bad. There's a surprisingly large amount of raw alcohol, which is actually quite harsh - not just spicy (though it is that too). And it just tastes a bit industrial. I'm really surprised by how much more industrial this tastes than I remembered. Oh, there is a nice kind of creamy milkiness to this. It doesn't have an actual milk flavor, but it doesn't have a real white chocolate flavor either. I kind of like it, but it's not amazing. F: That industrial vodka flavor really sticks around. It's unpleasant. Some of that milkiness too. - Conclusion - A quick side by side with Godiva Chocolate (13/23) shows that the Godiva is significantly better than this. It has a smoother vodka and somewhat nicer chocolate flavor. Side by side with the Godiva and with Kirkand French Vodka (14/23), this is clearly not as good, but I'm thinking that I was overstating the vodka presence previously. A 12 is too high for this, but I don't think I'd go down as low as a 9. Certainly not an 8. I'm going to give it a 10 because that industrial flavor really is there and I'm finding it increasingly upsetting.

Rating: 15/23 N: Milk, white chocolate, vanilla, and maybe a dash of a nice white wine. That sort of white wine grape element is what always gets me about this. It isn't bad, but it is surprising. It's a clean and refreshing nose. P: Creamy like white chocolate cut with milk - not in a bad way so much as like white chocolate milk. There's less vanilla here and the white grapes come out more here, moving from white wine to more like straight up champagne grapes. It's actually quite an enjoyable palate, surprisingly. The alcohol is perhaps a bit noticeable, but it doesn't taste unreasonably bitter or laced with chemicals, and there's none of that loathesome artificial caramel flavor. F: Milk is even moreso the dominant flavor in the finish. The grape comes into second place and (aside from its oiliness perhaps), the white chocolate falls back. I continue to be surprised by how enjoyable this is. It certainly doesn't deliver that authentic, rich, vanilla-laden white chocolate experience, but it does a good job of providing a refreshing, milky profile with some added suggestions of white chocolate and white wine elegance. The closest comparison I have on hand is Bailey's (which I realize is totally not the same thing). The Bailey's is richer with more grassiness and creaminess coming through, but it also has more young grain spirit coming through in a way that is kind of unpleasant. If I were throwing something in a drink, I suspect that the Bailey's flavor would hold up better (also, this Sheelin curdles in acid like you wouldn't believe), but flavor-wise, I prefer the Sheelin just a tad for neat sipping because it doesn't have anything jarring going on. I'm pretty on the fence between these two, but I might prefer Sheelin just a tad, so it's going to be either a 14 or 15. I'm thinking right now that it's a 15 though.

15: Whereas Bailey's looks tasty, this drink is definitely white. I can't quite place the alcohol this is mixed in, but the milk flavor comes through clearly and strongly. There is a bit of vanilla present, which is typical of white chocolate, and the drink is very sweet, but it doesn't have the richness that real white chocolate has, so it makes me suspect that it is a mislabeled imitation. It is also quite one-note, but at $10 can I really complain? That fruity grape flavor is actually kind of nice. If you're looking for pure white chocolate, maybe look elsewhere, but this is a nice flavor that is its own. It isn't super deep, but its notes are successful and it has a nice balance of sweetness and alcohol (it is definitely quite sweet though). The finish is nice with white chocolate and grape juice playing of if each other. Really, this is an impressively good drink.