
September 20, 2017

Three indie Irish for my birthday

It is my birthday today (I'm 37, right), so I thought we could have some of those indie Irish that are so good, because indeed, there are more indie Irish that will just blow most officials out of the water. Okay, there’s Redbreast, but… So let’s have three of those new indies, one rather young (they’re usually rather too spirity) and some rather older (they’re usually superlatively fruity)…

Distillery in Ireland 13 yo 2003/2017 (52.7%, Exclusive Malts and The Whisky Barrel, sherry hogshead, cask #200501, 180 bottles)

I’ve seen that the price was very fair. This is most probably Colley. Colour: deep gold. Nose: indeed, it starts a little spirity (wood alcohol) but some nice notes of grated coconut, shoe polish, butter cream, warm cake and old tin boxes are soon to appear. Some dry sherry too (walnuts and ‘dry’ raisins, sour apples). With water: much rounder, cake-y, softer… Water really improves it. Mouth (neat): rather rough. Cider apples, sour wine, some leather, something metallic again, some pepper and chillies… With water: phew, once again, this is much better, rather on herbs, macha cake, walnut cake, green pepper… Finish: rather long, with more green citrus. Comments: I’d have reduced it to 46% vol. – or sold it with a free quart of Evian. SGP:361 - 84 points.

Ireland 27 yo 1990/2017 (48%, Maltbarn, The Malt Clan, bourbon, 206 bottles)

In theory, this should be pretty unbeatable… Colour: straw. Nose: the 2003, minus the sour/dry sherry, plus a much better polishing. Pistachio cream, mango jam, aloe, perhaps a little bacon (really), some cake straight from the bakery (raisin cake?) and, above everything, some very precious blue-green tea. Very subtle and delicate, less extravagantly fruity than other casks of this make. After ten minutes, there, passion fruits, pink grapefruits, and wet chalk. Mouth: only one major flaw, I was expecting this, while I do like surprises. Otherwise, we have passion fruits, mangos, a wee touch of salt, a feeling of clay, melissa water… And all that. Finish: medium, pure, and extremely fresh. A wee touch of litchi and pineapple in the aftertaste. Comments: luminous and refreshing. Yeah, most sadly, as expected – but we shan’t complain, shall we? SGP:651 - 91 points.

Irish Malt 28 yo 1989/2017 (49.3%, Antique Lions Of Spirits, bourbon, 209 bottles)

This one comes under these lovely Moony labels, in this case, it would be butterflies. Does that suggest any kind of lightness?... Colour: pale gold. Nose: a slightly rounder version of the 1990, with a little more cake-y notes, and perhaps very ripe bananas. A little more oomph as well, and that cannot only be the extra 1.3% vol. Passion fruits, mangos, chalk, grapefruits… Brilliant nose, rather more ‘immediate’ than that of then 1990. Mouth: sweet Vishnu, this is a total fruit bomb! And they’re all there, papayas leading the way, then mangos, maracuja, etc., etc., etc… Also love the rather mineral backbone, it’s not just some fortified all-vitamin fruit juice. Finish: medium to long, always immensely fruity, and with a rather lemony signature. No, rather pink grapefruits again. Comments: just one stupid question, why don’t the owners have these? Granted, the prices would be five times higher, but still! A mystery… (agreed, it’s the same all over Scotland). SGP:751 - 92 points.

PS: It’s really bugging me that some of the very best whiskies that came out in the, say last three years were both indie and from undisclosed distilleries. I’m talking about those 1988-1991 Irish and about the mid-1970s ‘Speysides’. Now, all had age statements, so all is fine ;-).

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