Neat. Sample - batch 2. Not everyday you can celebrate a promotion at the same time you receive a sample like this. So excited. I have come across this bottle on three occasions but the price tag always scares me away. On the nose, glazed fruit for days and days. Strawberries, cherries, raspberries. It’s ridiculous. Fruit Pebbles even. Getting this lovely, delicate vanilla angel’s food cake. Covered in powdered sugar. Getting hints of milk chocolate too. It has heat behind it too. Usually I can bury my nose in anything like a truffle hunting pig but I have to back off this one a bit. Getting this nice velvety oak now too. Creamy and oily texture. Darker on the tongue than I was expecting and packed with flavor. Brown sugar, Sherry, and oak shine through immediately. Transitions to that fruit covered angel’s food cake mid palate. Finishes with a blast of port, hint of chocolate and glazed fruits. And the finish is super long and even swallowing my saliva brings back a wave of the fruits. So much Sherry and port influence it is hard to tell there is an Irish Whiskey behind it. Each sip is a joy ride of fruits and wines. It is so easy drinking too, goes down like a juice box or a sip of wines versus something 107 proof. I don’t think this makes me want to spend $500 on a bottle but it definitely takes the throne as my favorite Irish Whiskey to date.