Irish Whiskey is never going to be the same again.
A new player has entered the market to potentially topple the reining champion.
Welcome to Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you couldn’t have missed the phenomenom of Mixed Martial Arts star Notorious MMA Conor McGregor & his exploits both on and off the ring.
You may also be aware of his plans to market a whiskey.
Well it’s out – Right Here, Right Now in yer local Tesco.
Now Conor doesn’t do things in halves.
Despite the bluster around ‘his’ distillery – the money is on Bushmills as the main source of this entry level blend.
He is certainly coming in BIG.
He is certainly coming in STRONG and
He is certainly entering into a market previously dominated by Jameson as a serious contender.
What else could I do but rush to Tesco to buy my own bottle & do a back to back taste test?
The Bottle. It looks big, it looks chunky, it’s green & is catchy enough. Jameson by comparison looks dated.
Colour. Proper Twelve comes out a slightly darker shade of added caramel. This is standard practice for entry level blends. Proper Twelve does appear to have more viscous legs in the glass however.
Nose. Both show that standard entry level caramel nose. Yet Proper Twelve has a hint of warmth to it – some charred cask influence? – which Jameson lacks.
Taste. Both are soft & smooth – Jameson is softer & smoother – but the little bit of body & warmth Proper Twelve exhibits – along with an enjoyable sprinkling of tingling spice – adds to it’s appeal.
Overall. Jameson is yer archetypal go-to easy drinking approachable blend. Proper Twelve is of similar style – yet for me has added depth, body & a little spice which gives it more character – which is only appropriate given the larger than life character behind it.
Named after the Crumlin area of Dublin – D12 – Conor hails from – Proper Twelve has appeal far beyond the narrow confines of the whiskey world.
It opens up the Irish Whiskey segment to a mass audience – and it seriously challenges Jameson’s dominance of that market.
I wholeheartedly welcome that challenge and wish all involved with Proper Twelve future success.
Sláinte.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 
I wonder why the “drink responsibly” text is in Italian while the bottle seems to be for the German market?
I’ve never tasted this whiskey. Maybe I should, to form my opinion about it. There’s so much talk about it as you know, and I assume much of the negative talk is exaggerated, same as what the (scotch) whisky snobs in Sweden say about Jameson.
LikeLike
The photo is of the 1st bottle which was rushed out to capture the Xmas market of 2018.
I checked the 2nd bottle which despite being slightly different still has the Italian & German on it.
I’m assuming it’s a pan European label & has to comply with rules in various countries.
Germany insists if caramel is added it must state so on the label. This is not a requirement in either Scotland or Ireland.
Maybe Italy has a ‘Drink Responsibly’ ruling?
The Jameson label meanwhile suggests the whiskey was made in Bow St Distillery – which it isn’t. The wording was eventually changed to comply with Irish Whiskey rules & the last time I checked simply states ‘Made In Ireland’.
LikeLike