The Busker Single Pot Still (Single Collection)

For the price! A phenomenal representation of the style. Though it does not compare to the Waterford, redbreast, green spot, bushmills 12 and up I do believe the busker has a permanent spot on the roster of solid Irish offerings

N: Cherry Hi-C and oak. I'm not quite sure what to make of that combo. It is unique, if nothing else. Cherry cough syrup, orange citrus. Maybe some baking spice way deep in the background. P: More cherry Hi-C and oak. Bit more tart this time and leaning more toward that syrupy cough medicine. Milk chocolate when you run air across it. Baking spice does build in mid-palate with cinnamon, coriander, and a little cayenne spiced melted butter and brown sugar. Finish is gets pretty hot with a chili pepper character. Good amount of bitter oak tannin too. Some of that cherry carries through to the end, even more on the cough syrup side now, but with a dash of chocolate that does eventually feel like chocolate covered cherry. That first and dominant artificial cherry note is really just too much for me. I never got past it and it never grew on me. Spending the extra time with it to write the review tonight, I get a bit more depth on the palate than I had noticed before. But it's not enough to make this more than just a mediocre bottle. It's worth taking a flier on if you dig Single Pot Still, but I don't think I'll be repeating this one.

Verse groene peper in de neus, licht citrus. Complex op de tong, chocolade, zurig, noten

Nothing too crazy but plenty tasty. The nose is apple and sweet cinnamon on top of a doughy base, like an apple coffee cake. On the palate there is a bit of that doughy flavor especially as you first sip, and the spice becomes more prominent, with a tangy, woody vanilla that is, to me, strongly reminiscent of bourbon. Perhaps an influence of the bourbon cask? The finish is fairly hot but in a pleasant way and leaves you with a nice warm feeling. This is somewhat different from the (admittedly few) other Irish whiskeys I've tried, especially in its bourbon-like notes. It's got a satisfying rich, warm character. The flavors are fairly bold, although not super complex. I do wish for a bit more of the typical hearty-bread pot still flavor, but this has its own charm. In a weird way I almost like the "afterglow" of this more than the sip itself, sort of like how you may only appreciate how comfortable you were snuggled up in a chair when you have to get up. When I try to pay attention to the separate components of it none of them seems that great, but after taking a sip I feel nice and cozy. The bottle cost only $28. I haven't seen many if any other single pot stills at this price. I could definitely see getting another bottle somewhere down the line.

Bold, sweet, and rich.