Rúa American Single Malt, 46% & Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, 45%

American Single Malt Whiskey is a growing category.

I thought a back to back with one of the new breed of American Distillery’s releases against a more established Bourbon producer was in order.

Image courtesy Celtic Whiskey Bar

Rúa American Single Malt, 46%

Distilled at the Great Wagon Road Distillery in North Carolina & claiming Irish heritage with the Rúa name is this non chill filtered , natural colour organic, non GMO barley offering.

A lovely richness to the nose. Mild & mellow on the palate. Slowly builds developing into a very attractive & enjoyable array of flavours which dance merrily away.

A very well presented single malt.

Image courtesy Celtic Whiskey Bar

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, 45%

Hailing from the long established & popular Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky is this Small Batch release. A blend of different bourbon mash-bills with varying degrees of rye content.

I immediately get a warm dry nose – indicative of the high rye content Four Roses is known for. A satisfying mouthfeel where the dry spiciness of the rye interplays with the smooth sweet corn influence. Leaves with that signature prickly spice.

Nice & easy.

Thoughts

I enjoyed both of these!

Trying to pick a winner is a bit tricky.

Do I go for the subtle yet engaging flavours of the newcomer single malt?

Or stick with the bolder rye spices of the established player?

Four Roses are relatively easy to encounter – but I do think Rúa is worth seeking out.

It’s constantly seeking new experiences that engage me on this spirit journey – so Rúa it is!

Sláinte

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A St Patrick’s Day Blind Whiskey Tasting

Blind tasting some whiskey on St Patrick’s Day in the midst of a pandemic?

Sure – what else would you be doing?

I had my usual Tuath whiskey glasses, water, pen & paper – and set to it.

In order of appearance are my rather distilled notes – given in italics before the reveal.

c/oMasterOfMalt

A Tullibardine 500, 43%

Grand

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B Glendalough Pot Still, 43%

OK

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C Auchentoshan Three Wood, 43%

Lacklustre

It became apparent doing the tasting that all struck a similar chord – sherry finished, mild & mellow, easy going & sweet. Attractive for some – but lacking a certain flair on my palate.

Things changed a little with the next pair.

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D Writer’s Tears Copper Pot, Japanese Cask, 55%

Bit of a welcome bite & entertainment.

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E WD O’Connell 12 Sherry Series, 59.2%

Almost, but not quite.

The use of Japanese Mizunara & longer maturation times added to the depth, complexity & variety of flavours found in these whiskeys.

I had to re-sample to pick a winner – E WD O’Connell 12 – if only for those tannic woody spices.

c/othewhiskeynut

The tasting further confirmed a few themes with my palate;

Sherry finished whiskey isn’t my forte – but even within that category there can still be a diversity of flavours.

Added caramel dulls the intensity – lacklustre kind of sums that up.

Ageing & higher ABV generally adds to the experience – but not always.

As for the not quite comment – well it wasn’t Bill Phil!

I’d encourage all to sample far & wide. It will hone down your palate preferences, enable you to pick out what works – or doesn’t – & is great fun too!

I’m always open to sample swaps – get in touch.

Sláinte

Honesty & Transparency in the whiskey world.

Honesty & Transparency are current buzzwords in the whiskey world.

The implication being there are dishonest & cloudy whiskeys out there.

But how does this alter the all important factor – taste?

Having always taken these buzzwords as the latest marketing ploy of whichever brands use them – or whiskey fans extolling the virtues of their choice over another – in choosing to blind taste that ‘honesty & transparency’ is turned on it’s head.

Honest Whiskey Samples c/othewhiskey

What whiskey does your palate enjoy?

It’s no longer about what’s written on the label, the limited edition, attractive bottle or price.

It’s simply 4 vials of whiskey, glassware of choice – and your palate.

So into my Túath glass they went!

Transparency in a glass c/othewhiskeynut

A – Pale straw, grand, vanillas & caramel, tad spirity, nice mouthfeel, sherry influence? long lasting finish, lip smacking, very pleasant & easy.

B – Light brown, fruity, easy mouthfeel, softer, flatter on the finish, OK, nothing spectacular.

C – Light brown, nice ex-bourbon cask nose, richness, nice prickly burn on the finish, higher strength? classic bourbon cask.

D – Light brown, nice ex-bourbon nose, richness, hint of woodiness, mixture of sweetness & oaky influence, long lasting, lovely complexity, a decent dram.

My order of preference for the selection had D winning out closely followed by C. A came next with B trailing last.

But what were they?

Reveal c/o@mjpm67

D – Glen Scotia Victoriana, Cask Strength, Single Malt, 54.2%

C – Tipperary Rioja Finish, Single Cask, Single Malt, 57.35%

A – Whistler Mosaic, Single Grain, 46%

B – MVR 2018, Blend, 40%

Happy tasting! c/othewhiskeynut

What ‘honest & transparent’ results would your palate have chosen?

Sláinte

Mourne DEW Miniature Pack, 40% to 43%.

When a particular distillery’s output wins 2 blind tasting sessions – you take notice.

Both Mourne DEW’s Blend and Single Malt stood out for me,

Tasty trio c/othewhiskeynut

So I purchased their miniature set to try them out side by side.

The Kilbroney Gin went down well with my better half,

Kilbroney c/othewhiskeynut

Allowing me to concentrate on the others!

Pooka Poitín, 43%

Pooka c/othewhiskeynut

The colour immediately intrigued me. A pale straw hue – similar to the whiskeys – obviously a bit of barrel ageing going on – 10 weeks is allowed.

An entertaining floral note greeted me – with a hint of woody smoke. Oily smooth mouthfeel with enticing flavours. A touch of nuttiness on the finish topped off with a pleasing drying prickleness.

A rather unique poitín offering – very happy with this one!

Mourne DEW Blend, 40%

Blend c/othewhiskeynut

Like encountering an old friend!

A clean & fresh nose, smooth honeyed palate drying out towards the finish leaving with a tingling spiciness.

A characterful little number!

Mourne DEW Single Malt, 43%

Single Malt c/othewhiskeyut

Just a word on the colour – of the 3 – it appears the palest!

Clearly no caramel here & a relatively young malt – which works well for a peater – as the nose brings me back to sitting by an open turf fire!

What can I say about this one?

A delightfully young & vibrant peater – loved it!

Thoughts

For a small distillery nestled on the pretty banks of Carlingford Lough in Warrenpoint – Mourne DEW are releasing a flavourful range of spirits to charm & entertain.

Happy drinking! c/othewhiskeynut

The Essence Of Mourne – works wonders for me!

Sláinte