This latest premium 18 Year Old Single Malt has been finished in barrels used to mature that Irish Golden Rum – a world first!
Luckily a sample from Black’s of this limited edition release came my way.
Black’s 18 c/othewhiskeynut
A lovely golden hue.
Gorgeously rich aromas. Thinking rum & raisin, gentle woodiness – yet almost earthy.
Initially sweet & easy notes of soft caramel infused with stronger oakiness coat the palate before the 56% ABV kicks in with a joyful explosion of power.
A prickly tingling of gently drying spiciness faded slowly away.
A very attractive & alluring malt indeed.
Pity it’s a bit beyond my price range!
Sláinte
Black’s Brewery & Distillery kindly supplied the sample.
Ever since the split between Walsh Whiskey & Illva Saronno over the direction of produce distilled at Royal Oak Distillery – premiumisation vs mass market in my estimation – I’ve noticed far more glowing coverage of Walsh Whiskey – now a sourced brand – over and above Royal Oak – who are one of only a few Irish Whiskey Distilleries able to distill all 4 styles of Irish Whiskey – Blend, Single Grain, Single Malt & Single Pot Still – under one roof.
The fabulous Royal Oak Distillery c/othewhiskeynut
Normally there’s a ‘hoorah’ over a new distillery’s first offerings – but for Royal Oak it was a mere whimper.
The Busker range is widely available in the US.
For now in Ireland it remains in specialist shops.
I was waiting for it to appear in my local supermarket – but opted for a sampler pack from Dick Mac’s Bar instead.
The Busker samples c/othewhiskeynut
The Busker range is entirely Royal Oak’s own distillate – which I’ve yet to witness on the shelves – and is a marvelous milestone in the growing diversity of Irish Whiskey.
The livery of the bottle is bold, striking & contemporary – a refreshing modern look.
The Busker range is available for the attractive price of €40 for the singles & €30 for the blend.
So how did I find them?
Triple Cask Blend c/oTTB/Colasonline
Triple Cask Blend, 40%
Triple distilled, triple cask – bourbon , sherry & marsala – a blend of Single Grain, Single Malt & Single Pot Still.
Quite a rich & fruity aroma. The sherry influence appears to dominate. Juicy fruitiness on the palate – like wine gums. An enjoyable tingling spice on the finish which gradually dries out.
Lovely complexity at a pleasing price.
Single Grain c/oTTB/Colasonline
Single Grain, 44.3%
Bourbon & Marsala cask matured.
Gentle & subtle. Hints of woodiness. Clean & fresh palate. Dries out on the finish with a frisson of spice.
A characterful & engaging single grain.
Single Malt c/oTTB/Colasonline
Single Malt, 44.3%
Bourbon & Sherry cask matured.
Smooth maltiness. Lovely sweet juicines on the palate. A delightful drying spice on the finish.
Easy & engaging.
Single Pot Still c/oTTB/Colasonline
Single Pot Still, 44.3%
Bourbon & Sherry cask matured.
Captivating sweet spiciness. More of those wine gums. More body & woody depth showing through. Lip smacking finish.
Nice!
Thoughts
There’s a common sherry influenced theme running through all these whiskey. A pleasing sweet juiciness followed by a drying spiciness – but for me the added complexity of the single pot still wins out on the day.
A very welcome addition to the growing diversity of Irish Whiskey.
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
c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
B Glendalough Pot Still, 43%
OK
c/oMasterOfMalt
C Auchentoshan Three Wood, 43%
Lacklustre
It became apparent doing the tasting that all struck a similar chord – sherry finished, mild & mellow, easygoing & sweet. Attractive for some – but lacking a certain flair on my palate.
Things changed a little with the next pair.
c/oCelticWhiskeyShop
D Writer’s Tears Copper Pot, Japanese Cask, 55%
Bit of a welcome bite & entertainment.
c/oIrishMalts
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!
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.
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.
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.
Despite the early controversy over labelling – their whiskey has always rated highly with me winning 2 blind tasting categories in the 2017 Irish Whiskey Awards judging sessions I attended.
Perhaps it’s #allaboutthewood – as their slogan goes.
Or could it be the non chill filtration & no added caramel?
The ‘no added caramel’ isn’t actually stated on the labels – but a perusal of whisky.de – where it’s a requirement to say if caramel is added- reveals none.
Whatever the reasons – my palate enjoys Hyde Whiskey & an opportunity to sample 6 of their current range is a delight.
Tasty line-up! c/othewhiskeynut
Many thanks to Hyde Whiskey for providing the samples. My thoughts – as always – are my own.
Rather than going by release numbers or dates – all Hyde Whiskey carry significant years in Douglas Hyde’s history as well as release numbers – I’m following perceived wisdom in tasting Blends, Single Grain & Single Malt.
All are presented at a pleasing 46%.
Blends
1938 c/othewhiskeynut
No 6, 1938, President’s Reserve, Sherry Cask Finish
Honeyed vanilla, smooth & easy, clean finish with lovely prickliness.
Having given this top rating in the 2017 blind judging it was great to encounter this one again. It didn’t disappoint.
1640 c/othewhiskeynut
No 8, 1640, Heritage Cask, Stout Cask Finish
Crisp & clean, lovely mouth coating, flavours develop on a long finish.
A recent newcomer to the range entering the exciting beer cask finished craze. I found it a very engaging offering.
Single Grain
1916 c/othewhiskeynut
No 3, 1916, The Áras Cask, Single Grain
Rich vanillas, lightness yet full on flavour, classic ex-bourbon cask notes.
I’ve always found this one an attractive whiskey. Love the simplicity & cleanliness of the ex-bourbon maturation which 1916 has in spades.
1860 c/othewhiskeynut
No 5, 1860, The Áras Cask, Burgundy Cask Finish
Dark fruits, easy sweet mellowness, almost like fruit pastels on the finish.
I do find wine finished whiskey a tad too sweet for my palate – but they’re a winner for others. This is a good example.
Single Malt
1893 c/othewhiskeynut
No 7, 1893, President’s Cask, Sherry Cask Matured
Rich sweet fruitiness, silky mouthfeel, notes of sweet plums.
Originally released as a 10 year old, now non age statemented, the sweet tooth flavours still come through very well.
1922 c/othewhiskeynut
No 4, 1922, President’s Cask, Rum Cask Finish
Dark fruitiness, heavier appeal, rich juiciness, touch of spice.
Despite being sweet, the rum finish added depth & body which suited my palate. Very nice!
Thoughts
Trying to choose a favourite among this excellent selection is really down to personal preference with such fine whiskeys.
To narrow it down my winners for each category were;
1938 for the blends,
1916 for single grain &
1922 for single malt.
These whiskey are all winners in my book – but for overall appeal, lovely engaging flavours & attractive bite on the finish – I’m giving top spot to 1938!
Based on an original bottle from the Frongoch Distillery – later to become Frongoch Interment Camp for Irish Republican prisoners – Royal Welsh Whisky exhibits a flavour profile pleasing to my palate – peat.
The historical connections, revival of Welsh Whisky & gorgeous smokey notes all make for a winner to me.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 