Leprecaun Dept: To the Irish!

What is feckin whiskey doing on the net's leading independent rum website? There's a reason, read on, but it's not my fault! Honest...
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Capn Jimbo
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Leprecaun Dept: To the Irish!

Post by Capn Jimbo »

A healthy and happy St. Patrick's Day to all...


Erin go braless! In honor, Sue Sea and I will review one of our good Irish Whiskey's other than Redbreast (already done). If any of our resident whisky lovers would care to, we'd love to hear about your fave and why...
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Post by bearmark »

I attended a Jameson tasting last year where I sampled almost all of the Jameson line plus some others from Midleton, including Midleton Very Rare and Jameson Rarest Vintage (read about it here). I also sampled Bushmill Black Bush and 1608 400th Anniversary and wrote about it here. Based on those experiences and my bottle of Redbreast 12 last year, I would recommend Jameson 12 ($40-50) or Jameson Gold Reserve ($60-70). Personally, I'll be having my first pour of Bushmills 16 Year Old Irish Whiskey today.
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

We seem to have a shortage (pun intended) of little people...


As promised, Sue Sea and I did review two Irish whiskies: the venerable Tullamore Dew and Finegan's 8 Year. Yes, eight years makes a difference but they each have their place. It's too late to struggle with the review, but I will share the names we gave them...

"Dammit, it's whisky!" and "Sweet Pecan Pie"...
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Post by Uisge »

I will be enjoying a dram of Knappogue Castle 15 Year Old Very Limited Edition, a vatting of the 1990, 1991 and 1992 vintages made by Cooley (now Kilbeggan since Beam Spirits purchased the distillery last year). Mine is bottle 484 of 600, 43% Alc/Vol, not sure if it's shill-filtered or not, though I'd lean towards the latter.

Image

A picture of my pair of Knappogues
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I opened this bottle in 2011 when I was flown to Colorado to be the best man at a friend's wedding at the Colorado Renaissance Festival in July of that year and shared a few small pours with the 4 of us in the wedding party the night before.

Most of the vintage Knappogues, with the exception of the burly B.Daly distillery sourced 1951 vintage, are modest at first nosing, but after a few years of having more airspace in the bottle there is a stronger nose, think Granny apples or even Jolly Rancher green apple candy, slight undertone of caramel, cinnamon, mint.

Pogue mahone and sláinte mhaith! :mrgreen:
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

A lovely post from the U-man, thank you...


BTW, "shill-filtered"? A very good St. Pat's Day, indeed, lol. Now back to business. Being the cheapskate and always looking for good spirits that don't require a 2nd mortgage to buy, we ended up with these Irish spirits: the Tullamore (a gift), Bushmills and the Black, the Finnegan's 8 - all at very reasonable cost - and last a Redbreast 12 - more expensive but absolutely worth it. Now as you know we don't consider ourselves capable of good whisky reviews; we know where our skills and knowledge lay and where they don't.

Still, for this Day we thought we'd give it a go;


To begin

I need not tell any of you what makes Irish whisky unique and that is in general, triple distillation. There seem to be at least three entities producing this whiskey: The first is Bushmill's in the north: using pot stills that remove alcohol in the tasty low 80% range, and redistilling feints many more times. Any aging is done in new barrels to produce what Broom calls "...a light complex spirit with few fusel oils".

Irish Distillers in the extreme south: produces the ubiquitous Jamesons, Powers and Redbreast from a melange of mix and match pot and column stills. Broom notes their claim to fame is using what are called "bespoke" barrels - including new sherry barrels, oak and pre-arranged barrels once holding port or Madiera. Wood is a serious subject at Midleton. Last is Cooley and Kilbeggan (see the U-man above), smack dab in the heart of Ireland: with a method that involves charging the pot with about 1-1/2 fills from the wash still, slow distillation and upward angled lyne arms (for more reflux). The result is a sweet, honeyed distillate.

Now mind you we knew none of this when I grabbed the Tullamore (Wm Grant/Irish Distillers) and the Finnegans (Cooley) for today's reviews - the first two I could lay my hands on. They were Irish, it was St. Pat's Day, and we'd promised...


The reviews


Tullamore Dew

Nobody thinks much of Tullamore Dew's entry level whiskey, but that is no doubt due to its low price and common availability. To this day, even the best of us have an tendency to equate price with quality. We'd received ours as a gift. The Finnegans 8 Year was quite a lucky find, in the low $20's. We decided to do a side-by-side comparison, and our reviews are integrated.

The Tullamore Dew is a nice bright and clear yellow, like a nice urine (have you no sense of humour?) that is delivered in rounded cornered rectangular, no-nonsense bottle that would fit nicely in your farmer's overalls. I rather like the lack of pretense. "This is whiskey" it says, "for you!". And so it was. In the nose Sue Sea found honey, a bit of orange blossom, a touch of vanillan in a light caramel cream. I found it honeyed and lightly creamy over a spicy background and yes - a bit of nose prickling alcohol. "This is whisky", it said.

We then proceeded to the palate which for Sue Sea opened creamy and honeylike, then moved to a spiking heat - "like one of those red hot candies" she said, ginger and cloves with the late palate and finish to an even hotter white pepper and even red pepper flakes, My observation was simpler: consistent with the aromas but edgy and choppy - with a sharp and growing heat, from black and thence to a white pepper, tongue glowing, "It's whiskey, dammit!" finish. Not terribly complex.

Mind you, neither Sue Sea or I are offput by a good hot finish, but it has to be in harmonious balance. Accordingly Sue Sea noted that except for rum, she rather likes Irish whiskey almost as much as a good rye. She found it pleasant and inviviting but did note that a clearing sip of cool water or an ice cube wouldn't be refused. The glow of the day, the influence of her English and Irish family and relations led her to score it rather highly. I found it a good drinking man's whiskey, perfect for an evening of brotherhood influenced, "Whiskey, bartender!" evening.

Score (ten is best): Sue Sea - 8, Moi - 7, barely. This was to change, keep reading...


Finnegan's Eight Year

We knew the Finnegans would be different, with a good, honest eight years of time in good wood, first notable in its clear amber color, and a bit more leggy. Unlike rum, legs actually mean something other than added sugar. Sue Sea found the rather classic bulged neck bottle rather ordinary, but certainly more classic than the Tullamore flask. Sue Seas's opening aroma now moved into a light leather, oak, vanillan, a bit of anise or licorice and after my findings, a touch of pecan. I found the Finnegan's deeper and richer, with a newly tanned leather, a nutty pecan sweetness. Altogether more serious. The Finnegan's palate opened for Sue Sea with a vanilla caramel-cream, as she put it "...that melts in your mouth" with a growning gentle heat, wonderful pecan pie and closing with a ginger, clove and butterscotch candied finish. "Not too hot, not too sweet" she said. I found a sweet and smooth entry, sweet pecans consistent with the aroma, and honey growing smoothly into a gentle heat with a slight leather atringency (nice) for a long and modest sweet/heat finish.

We both found it a brilliant and dangerous whiskey, solid and extremely well balanced with smooth transitions - very harmonious. Balance without harmony is another matter; with it you have something to talk about. We called this whiskey "Sweet Pecan Pie". Finnegan's eight is sophisticated, and dangerously drinkable. Only the fact that I have so little left did we not pour yet another.

It is well to note that after the Finnegan's that Sue Sea immediately changed her rating of the Tullamore Dew, and rightfully so. We cannot stress enough the importance of always using a good reference spirit; otherwise your mood can easily over or under rate a spirit as happened here.


Final Scores


Tullamore Dew: low to mid 7.
Finegan's 8 Year: very solid 8.
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Uisge »

Good eye, Cap'n, "shill-filtered" should have read "chill-filtered"....unless one was referring to the effect of ignoring the
"Shrillery", 'natch :wink:
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Powers John's Lane

Post by bearmark »

I picked up a new Irish whiskey for my annual St. Paddy's Day purchase and it's the best that I've had yet at $70 and I'd even put it up against Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, which I tasted in 2013.
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

And the name is....?
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Post by bearmark »

Capn Jimbo wrote:And the name is....?
I guess the subject line was too obscure. :wink: It's Powers John's Lane.
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Post by mamajuana »

I'm not a huge Whiskey drinker but it being that time of year I decided to deviate from Rum as I do now and then and pick up some Irish Whiskey. After much debate I picked up some Teeling small batch Irish Whiskey. I chose it because it was finished for 6 months in Ex-Flor De Cana Rum Barrels. It is 46% ABV and non-chill filtered. Bottled 5/2014.
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Post by JaRiMi »

I like Irish whiskey and one favorite in the now traditional style is the Jameson 18yo. Their Rarest Vintage is absolutely fab sipping stuff, but quite pricey...Looking for similar experience, Redbreast 21yo is not inexpensive, but offers a very similar experience for slightly less - divine stuff if you like well-aged Irish.

When Redbreast first brought out their 15yo many years ago in limited quantity, it was simply put HEAVENLY. Since then the quality may have dropped a bit, but it is still quite a dram.

21yo Teeling represents a whole different experience in terms of flavour profile - but I must admit I really liked it, despite of the quite powerful vinous influence.

Tullamore Phoenix is a great more sherried version of Tullamore.

Oldest Irish I have ever tasted was 44yo Willie Napier, distilled at the old Tullamore distillery before it was dismantled. Liquid Mahogany is a good descriptive - but in a very positive way. I sipped this for almost an hour, enjoying it. Not for all, but maybe for tannic old geezers like myself :-)
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Post by mamajuana »

The teeling small batch Rum cask finish was fairly decent. I finished off the bottle over about 3 days. A bit young but overall very decent Irish whiskey at what I paid on sale.

With regards to the 21 year I found it retails for over 200.00 USD. I went to my main stay to find a bottle I went to 1000corks.com to locate one. I decided to research it after buying the rum cask version. Lucky I did that...

I found this bottle at an incredibly low price online a few days before St. Paddys day... the prices it was at are still listed there...even though they took down the listings today at all the websites...

https://1000corks.com/search?st=teeling+21

I ordered one and have a tracking number on it. I got mine for a "steeling" at 48.59 plus shippin http://www.petrocksliquors.com/main.asp ... ch=teeling ... I went to get another bottle for my boss but noticed it was taken down sometime after my purchase from all those websites clearly on the same network. Massive under price must have been a mistake they made or a St. Paddys day offer... I'll have to try this one soon will be here on Monday.
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