
December 13, 2017

A few more Irish whiskies

Hopefully we’ll find more indie Bushmills from the late 1980s – early 1990s today. Brilliant whiskies! Now trying Irish whiskey while typing on a Macintosh, then publishing these notes using some Adobe software, and then counting on Google and Facebook in some sort of way makes me feel a bit like I’m supporting quite a bunch of tax evaders today… OK, tax optimisers.

Roe & Co (45%, OB, Irish blended whiskey, +/-2017)

A new brand by Diageo who had sold/traded Bushmills just a few years ago (few people really understood why). Colour: gold. Nose: light, grainy, and extremely vanilla-ed. I cannot not think of Haig Club, this one being just a tad fatter, but without any clear maltiness. I’m also finding notes of young bourbon and grated coconut, but it’s got less depth that any good bourbon. It’s not particularly ‘Irish’ either… Perplexed… Mouth: butterscotch, custard, crème anglaise, orange sweets, and even more vanilla. There’s vanilla everywhere! Finish: short, all on vanilla, with touches of Cointreau and a little rye in the aftertaste. Comments: not comprendo this new baby, this extreme softness may be some kind of message, I don’t know. A lot of newish American oak at play here. Botoxed whisky, not quite my thing. SGP:630 - 72 points.

Irish Single Malt 13 yo ‘Batch 2’ (48.4%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 2,200 bottles)

I’ve heard the good people who did this label had previously worked on all of the Grateful Dead albums… Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s one of those. A touch of nail polish, then bubblegum, pears, wine gums, and a large selection of Haribo’s funniest. Toffee apple. Mouth: a little more complex, which means that beyond all these colourful little crocodiles, babies and beans, there’s a nice fatness (sunflower oil) as well as hints of Californian-style IPA beer. Actually, this could be distilled IPA! Finish: a little short, ueber fruity, and totally Haribo-y. Comments: a fine distillate that may need ten more years of aging, but it’s already quite good, no doubt, just not totally my favourite style, while the older ones, well… SGP:730 - 83 points.

Irish Single Malt 27 yo 1990/2017 (51.3%, The Whisky Agency and The Whisky Exchange, bourbon, 150 bottles)

This could rock… Colour: pale gold. Nose: sublime fruits! I mean, fruits indeed, not sweets and candy this time. Guavas, mangos, green bananas, then some humus and autumn leaves, a touch of raw turnip, and whiffs of new box of fine cigars from Cuba. This combo’s utterly perfect, extremely elegant and soft. Marvellous, as expected. With water: love love love when humus and moss come out like this. Mouth (neat): that famous fruit salad, plus a touch of mint and various herbs, sage, Thai basil, coriander… Absolutely terrific. With water: brilliant. Touches of apricot jam, pink grapefruits, clementines, and a wee grittiness in the back, welcome in this context (grape pips). Finish: medium, superb, between soft herbs and topical fruits. Comments: luminous Irish whisky. These batches are really something (and I’m glad to see that there’s more of them). Ireland’s anti-Bono! SGP:661 - 92 points.

Irish Single Malt 28 yo 1989/2017 (56.2%, Monkey Series Vol.1, Sansibar and LimitedWhisky Inv., bourbon, 164 bottles)

Should the label suggest that there are notes of bananas inside this? Colour: gold. Nose: a little more soft oak in this one, with some cinnamon cake, Linzertorte, coconut balls, marzipan… I find this just as lovely, good whisky’s not only about tropical fruits, is it? I’m also finding quite some melon skin, and funny hints of Nutella (I hope you all accept my profound apology). With water: sweet white asparagus, milk chocolate, nougat, a little custard… Mouth (neat): there, passion fruits, tangerines, mangos, and grape juice. It’s quite tart, in a lovely manner, and would remind me of the greatest dry Jurançons. Great grassier background. With water: still perfectly acidic, ‘nervous’, and even refreshing (which makes it dangerous). Finish: medium, very fresh, lifting, citrusy… Comments: another amazing one, complex and fresh. Well done the monkeyz! SGP:561 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Irish I've tasted so far