Knappoghue Castle 12 and 14 Irish Whiskey

Knappogue is well known among the so called whiskey intelligentsia.  Which is a euphemism for wino.  The 14 "twin wood" just showed up at my local shop.  The 12 retails in the $40 range, the 14 is around $60.

Knappogue 12:  Viscous, and everyone on the internets states that it has vanilla and toasted marshmallow. I don't disagree.  Thank you bourbon barrels.

Grade: B+

Knappogue 14:  This blends whiskey aged in bourbon barrels with whiskey aged in sherry casks.  It is also 92 proof as opposed to the 12, which is 80 proof.  Tasting it neat, it is good, but the wood dominates.  A little water opens it up revealing apple, pear and citrus notes.  Grade: B++

My cousin David (wife's dad's mom's sister's son) introduced me to Knappogue.  Needless to say, I had to buy two bottles of the 14.

Michael Collins Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The real big fellow.  You'll hearing from his lawyer, Zorak.

If you were to take a taste of Michael Collins Single Malt without being told what it was you were drinking, you would think that you had been handed a pretty nice glass of scotch.  There whiskey is lightly peated giving you a somewhat sweet and spicy dram, with a hint of smoke.  I have had this bottle for quite a few years now, and the distillery now labels the single malt as being aged 10 years.  I expect that my bottle is a few years younger than that, in the 6 year range.

I mildly recommend it. Butt it is a tad pricey at the $40 range.

Redbreast 12 Irish Whiskey

It's Saint Patrick's Day again, and while all of the amateurs are out drinking green beer and going to jail, I am sitting at home, watching March Madness and sipping on a fine Irish Whiskey.

This year's whiskey is Redbreast 12.  As my Great-Great-Grandma McFarland, whom I never met used to say: "It is the shit."  A little bit sweet.  A little bit spicy.  All of the meaningless adjectives that you get in a whiskey review on a dumb-ass site like this.  In other words. a fine whiskey. Sláinte!

The name Redbreast sounds odd to my ears.  But it is better than the distilleries original name Slap-Tit.

John L Sullivan Whiskey

This is a nice entry level Irish whiskey that is not named Bushmill's or Jameson's.  It is aged in Bourbon Barrels, that are only used for their whiskey for once.  It is pretty tasty and some of the bourbon flavor comes through under the standard barley flavor of an Irish Whiskey.

The whiskey is named after an Irish-American ass-kicker.  He was the last bare knuckle boxing champion in history, and since he didn't retire, the first gloved champion.  His last fight bare-knuckled fight, which is on the label lasted 75 rounds, after 77, they go to the judges' score cards.

I really wanted to add a joke about him beating up on
Leonardo DiCaprio, but I couldn't find a good image.
You have to admit, that his hat and mustache must have
been reincarnated for Gangs of New York.

The Tyrconnell Single Malt

We continue our St Pattie's day tradition of enjoying a fine Irish Whiskey at home, while all of the amateurs clog the bars.

This was a Christmas gift from Cousin David.  Thank you.

Web Tasting Notes: 

Colour: Golden Yellow

Nose: Full and fruity aroma with a citrus – spiciness taste

Taste: Well structured with honey notes hanging from the nose. A tang of oranges and lemons, a strong malt presence that balances well with the oily sweetness

Finish: A long finish with the malt becoming more dominant to the end without the soft fruits and honey, which helped make up the middle.

Alcohol content: 40%

Serving Suggestions: The Tyrconnell can be served neat in a tumbler, or with a little water to taste.

My Take:  Avoid water.  It does not take much to make this whiskey to taste too thin.  I agree that it is oily.  I think that it tastes salty and spicy, with a sweet leather finish.  This is a sipper.  The kind of whiskey that you sit back and enjoy.  Take some time to philosiphize about the universe, wondering where in the world is World-Wide-Kev?

Grade: B

Slane Castle and White Castle

On occassion, I do like to offer up a food pairing to go with the drink that I am reviewing.  The obvious choice for this Irish estate made whiskey with a burger made from a famous American estate.

Web stuff: This unique Whiskey blend has been distilled by the nearby Cooley Distillery, which won the European and World Distiller of the Year at the 2008 International Wine and Spirit Competition. It is a well balanced blend of malt and grain Irish Whiskey which has been aged and matured for at least four years in American oak barrels that previously matured Bourbon. In the traditional Irish style, the malt whiskey is distilled in copper pot stills and no peated malt is used. Both the malt content and the type of wood used for maturation give this product its sweetness and depth of character.

My two cents:  The aging in bourbon barrels adds a lot of sweetness and oak that differentiates it from Bushmill's and Jameson.  It does help me to forget that I am eating White Castle, which should only be consumed when you are drunk.


Grade: B-

Tales from the top shelf: Bushmill's 21

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  Instead of indulging in Green Miller Lite, we're going a wee bit classier.

This is one of my all time favorites.  It's got a smooth honey flavor with an oaky, barley finish.  There's some vanilla, some mint, all kinds of great stuff.  Typically when I buy an expensive bottle, the first sip is dissappointing and it takes me some time to appreciate it.  I enjoyed this one the moment that I opened it several years ago.  Sometimes you splurge on a pricey bottle; you get buyers remorse.  Not so with this whiskey.  It's worth every penny.

Web stuff:  Bushmills Malt 21 yo is aged for 19 years in a combination of American oak casks and Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks, then transferred to old Madeira drums (that's the typical name for these large Madeira casks) for the final two years of its maturation.

Colum, our Master Distiller, gets quite lyrical about this one, finding dark chocolate, nearly burnt toffee and even a hint of mint. - Distiller's Notes

Colum, The Master Distiller wants more of the precious!

Cost: $99

Grade: A

Cost Adjusted Grade: A

Tales from the top shelf: Bushmills 16 Year Old Malt

All good things must come to an end.  Tonight, I'm laying an old friend down to rest.  My trusty bottle of Bushmill's 16 is now empty.  I remember when I bought it and Mrs. Rye saw the receipt.  A lesson was learned that day.  Don't let your wife see how much you spend on top shelf liquor.  Good times.

Web stuff:  The distinctive Irish Malt whiskey is aged for 16 years in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon-seasoned casks, then matured for several months in Port Wine Barrel - a unique maturation which imparts distinct notes of juicy fruits, nuts and spices, as well as a hint of ruby redness.

Nose: Big, robust.  Treacle toffee and sweet spice.
Palate:  Praline, honey, full bodied.  Caramelized fruits, toasted nuts.
Finish:  Deep.  Jammed berries and dark chocolate.

Pretend to be a connoisseur and review this whiskey:  The finish is very spicy.  I get a hint of 12 Molar Ammonia, almost pass out, brace myself and enjoy the sweetness.  There is a lot of toasted barley and assorted flavors from the various barrels.  I really do get a momentary ammonia moment, but it's actually quite pleasant and interesting.
 
Cost: Approximately $70-80

Grade: B+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B