Slane Irish Whiskey

Weak flavour

There was no way I was getting out of Total Wine without a bottle of this. No, it's not because I expected something mind-boggling, or because its reputation preceded it, or even because I'm an Irish whiskey completist whose approach to the ever-increasing number of bottles available over here is Pokemon-esque in its dedication to catchin' them all. Nope, it was because of the name. Slane, an Irish village along the Boyne River, lends its name to a hymn tune; you're most likely to know it as "Be Thou My Vision" (which I often sing to my daughter, as it's a favorite of mine), but it's also used for "Lord of All Hopefulness," which my wife and I used in our wedding. So, there's a sentimental attachment here. So, that got the bottle off the shelf, but how's the juice? It's a solid, middle of the road, good-not-great Irish blended whiskey. There's a sweetness on the nose - buttery croissant filled with vanilla creme patissiere, honey-drizzled apple, frosted cinnamon-y Persian bun doughnut. The palate is also on the sweeter side, opening with buttery pastry, moving into an apple fruitiness and closing with a lingering vanilla glaze quality...so, a bit like eating an apple fritter. Evidently, I have doughnuts on the brain tonight. It's not going to change your life, but this is an easygoing dram for a casual evening at home. It'll be interesting to see what comes down the road as the distillery begins aging and bottling its own product; there's at least a certain level of taste here in the blending that promises good, if not stellar, things ahead.