Rising Reserve series consists of 21-Year-Old Single Malt that was initially aged in ex-Bourbon casks for over 18 years, before being finished in high quality Marsala casks, a fortified wine from Sicily, for 3 years. This dual maturation and in particular long finishing time in the Marsala casks imparts distinctive dark fruit notes and orchard fruit married with a brown sugar cinnamon like spice. The newest addition to these rare and unique bottlings was recently honoured with the top prize of Masters in the hugely competitive Single Malt category at the Irish Whiskey Masters Awards 2023 and is a true showcase of the influence different cask types have in crafting unique expressions of aged Irish Single Malt. Limited to just 6,000 bottles, the resulting Single Malt is then bottled at 46% with no chill filtration. Nose: A mellow vanilla sweetness intermingles with toasted apricots, tobacco, and rich spiced fruits, along with a hint of sweet Seville oranges and toasted almonds Palate: Creamy, warming mouthfeel with bursts of brown sugar and stewed fruits, followed by oak tannins and cinnamon spice. Finish: Long warming finish with notes of honeysuckle, rich demerara sugar, citrus & spice. Beautiful shortbread feel to this probably one of the nicest Irish whiskeys I have ever had. It is expensive hence I only bought the half bottle…… is it worth it? ………. Yeah probably!!!!!