My 1st encounter with Bart’s Whiskey – a core release blend for Lough Ree Distillery in advance of their own distillate – was in the comfort & warmth of Skelly’s Bar Ballymahon.
Sitting by an open turf fire I found Bart’s to be clean & fresh with a lively citrusy nose.
A smooth silky mouthfeel with touches of oiliness warmed to me.
Delightful soft kisses of smoky turf on the finish left an engaging dry spiciness melting away.
A highly entertaining & complex whiskey!
The following week found me in possession of a bottle with the chance to explore further.
Meeting Bart’s in Skelly’s had already won me over – but the additional information only confirmed this.
Complete with QR code for all the geeks out there – a lovely passage honoured the memory of Lough Ree Distillery’s founders father Bart.
A component breakdown of the blend explained my brief tasting notes.
‘Clean & fresh’ equates to non chill filtered & natural colour.
The high – & probably youthful – grain percentage explains ‘lively’.
The pot still ‘oiliness’ is evident.
But the crowning glory – for my palate anyway – is undoubtedly the rye cask & peated malt giving those ‘smoky kisses’ & ‘dry spice’ on the gorgeous finish.
Some demand such information on the bottle.
For me it’s an optional extra & an additional selling point.
Even if all the label stated was ‘Bart’s Irish Whiskey’ – my palate told me this is a damn fine whiskey!
Sláinte
All images authors own.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 
Another cracking review. Will keep an eye out for this one. Not a great fan of the ‘citrus’ flavour range but I certainly fall into the camp of those who like to know what I’m drinking, so I’ll reward this new Irish with purchase should I see it.
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