March 2016

Teeling Single Grain

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey
46%
$45
Website
Singlegrain_big
What the Distillery Says:
Single Grain – Recently Awarded World’s Best Grain at the World Whiskies Awards, 2014. This award-winning addition is one of only a handful of Single Grain Bottlings in the world.

It is fully matured in Californian red wine barrels resulting in an intensely fruity and beautifully amber liquid, with lush berry notes.

Hand selected casks, bottled at 46% with no chill filtration to ensure all the unique flavour is captured.

Nose: Spice and fruit notes mingle with an underlying sweet nose.
Taste: Strong spice at the start developing into lush red berries and grapes, with drying tannin effect at the end.
Finish: Dry finish dominated by wood and spice.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The first whiff is a harsh snip of nail polish remover. If you give it a couple of drops of water and a few minutes to open then slight notes of Brach’s butterscotch candies and vanilla buttercream frosting.
Palate: There is a nice plum fruitiness mixed with notes of under ripe apples. It has a creamy round body finishing with salted butter and honey.
Finish: Short with just a hint of wood and tannic notes.
Comments: There is a lot here to like but it doesn’t really seem to come together the right way. I seems like this needs some more work.
Rating: Average

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Knappogue Castle Twin Wood 16 Year

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Knappogue Castle Twin Wood Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 16 Years
40% ABV
$100
Website
5013050-1
What the Bottler Says:
With the help of the finest distillers and craftsmen, we bring you Knappogue TWIN WOOD — the first Sherry Finished Knappogue Castle matured for sixteen years in two types of wood. The result is a perfectly balanced single malt Irish whiskey with a complex, rich taste and a slightly sweet sherry finish.

We took the best of our 1994 vintage distilled single malt and aged it for just over fifteen years in bourbon barrels for our signature smooth taste. This perfect whiskey was then put into casks especially seasoned for Knappogue using Oloroso Sherry. We bottled only 1,900 bottles of this exquisite whiskey in December of 2010. Each individually numbered bottle is a true work of art.

Our Passion is for Perfection. Experience it in Knappogue Twin Wood.

Color: Medium deep reddish gold.
Aroma: Intense aromatic, rich, malty, fruity, spicy, nutty, vanilla, dusty dark chocolate, good age complexity.
Taste: Really deep and complex, nutty sherry maltiness, fruity, dusty dark chocolate, spicy, pleasant woodiness, vanilla notes, slightly peppery, some sweetness, mellow and rounded.
Finish: Nice sherried maltiness, some sweetness and dark chocolate lingering.
Comment: The greater age of this Knappogue expression serves to enhance and intensify the flavour of this single malt whiskey; and the sherry finish adds a further layer of taste complexity. The result is an Irish malt whiskey that ranks with the very best of the world’s single malts.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Even with the extra time in sherry wood the fresh grassy Bushmills-esque nose comes through. You have to give it some time for that sherry to start peeking around the edges.
Palate: Creamy, fruity sweet, and nutty with a dusting of cocoa powder and hints of sherry.
Finish: The finish leaves behind more of that lingering cocoa powder note.
Comments: The age and finishing are nice improvements over the regular 12 year old but not as much as the 14 year old limited edition. I think this one would also benefit from the same higher proof.
Rating: Stands Out

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Knappogue Castle 14 Year

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Knappogue Castle Twin Wood Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 14 Years
46% ABV
$59.99
Website
5013040-1
What the Bottler Says:
Distillation & Selection Process:
The malted barley is dried in ovens without the use of peat, allowing the crisp, clean flavor of malted barley to come through without smoky overtones. The dried malt is then ground and mixed with pure Irish spring water to extract the sugars. Single malt whiskies of Knappogue Castle are distilled three times in traditional onion shaped copper pot stills. The spirit is then placed in oak casks, formerly used for bourbon, stored at a relatively consistent temperature, and aged.

After 14+ years in bourbon casks, the whiskey for 14 Year Old Twin Wood was selected by the Master Distiller to be married with more Irish single malt – this time aged in casks specially infused for Knappogue Castle with Oloroso Sherry.

The delicate distillation process, along with the moist and temperate Irish climate, and the special aging in bourbon and sherry casks, has yielded the distinctive flavor of the Knappogue Castle 14 Year Old Twin Wood. The use of two kinds of wood casks in Twin Wood has produced a whiskey which has a deep, complex, and very smooth taste.

Knappogue Castle 14 Year Old Twin Wood is not chill filtered and, unlike many whiskeys, no coloring is added.

Tasting Notes:
The color is a light, reddish gold. The nose shows the orchard fruits typical of Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey, but is given depth by the Oloroso Sherry cask-aged whiskey. This results in hints of fleshy fruits – like plum and apricot. The taste is rich and fruity with hints of green apple and the zest of grapefruit. The malt helps to bring out the quality of the wood – sweet vanilla with light tannins from the charred oak. The finish is lengthy, with full fruity notes transitioning to a dry, pleasant barley conclusion.

Distillation Date: November 1998
Bottling Date: October 2012
Age: 14 years in two types of wood: bourbon & sherry casks
Number of Bottles: Only 2,000 bottles produced. Each is numbered and signed.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Light and fruity. Crisp apple, peaches, and tangerine fruit salad.
Palate: Rich and creamy like poached stone fruits with a sherry reduction sharing the plate with a bit of apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream.
Finish: The finish is a little prolonged with a bit of peppery and tannic bite.
Comments: This is a delicious step up from the standard 12 year old. The wood mixture and especially the extra proof really kick this expression up. I’ve not been the biggest fan of Knappogue over the years but this one really stands out to me. If it wasn’t a limited one off then I would surely pick up another.
Rating: Stands Out

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Knappogue Castle 12 Year

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Knappogue Castle Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 12 Years
40% ABV
$40
Website
menu-bottle12
What the Bottler Says:
Introducing Knappogue Castle® 12 Year Old. Continuing an Andrews family tradition of exceptional quality Irish Single Malts. Our Passion is for Perfection.

Knappogue Castle announces the first time release of its 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey. A new package design reflects the change from vintage dating to age designation. As the original vintage dated whiskey, Knappogue is undertaking this change to bring greater clarity to the age of the product.

“We found that some consumers didn’t realize how long Knappogue Castle Single Malt was aged, therefore missing a very important part of what we do to make it smooth, bright and spicy” observes Mark Andrews, son of the brand’s founder. “We want to be perfectly clear about the age of Knappogue Castle Single Malt. Now, there’s no need to calculate how long it was aged because we’re stating it boldly on the front label. The age of the product is something we’re proud of along with the fact that no color is added” says Mr. Andrews. “Although our standard offering will be the 12 year old single malt, we will continue to have special bottlings of rare and unique distillations which will most likely bear a vintage date.”

Tasting Notes:
Mellow, well rounded, well balanced, medium intensity; a bright, elegant fruit and mildly spicy taste with a medium-long, clean finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Grassy, fresh and light with a fruity and slightly herbaceous nose.
Palate: Creamy with a light fruity sweetness that reminds me of peaches and cream with a marshmallow on top.
Finish: A hint of pepper on the transition and then mild and mellow.
Comments: Irish whiskey is not unmalted triple distilled scotch from an island to the west. There are very fine flavors and textures that make Irish whiskey delicious and sought after in it’s own right. One of the more divisive things is a more mild and mellow drinkability. Scotch detractors will say it is more easy drinking without all the harsh things they don’t like about scotch. Scotch lovers may say Irish is too bland. I judge each whiskey individually and try at all costs to avoid generalization. This one however, I feel is under proofed and too bland. It doesn’t have anything about it that makes me want more. Another 6 to 12 proof points and maybe a smattering of sherry barrels in the mix would help a lot. That said, others may really enjoy this as a smooth go-to whiskey. Only your taste can tell you. [Source Distillery: Bushmills.]
Rating: Average

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