A GREAT BOURBON WITH A NOBLE HEART. NOBLE OAK is a unique award winning bourbon with a worthy purpose. We at Noble Oak are fanatics about wood. That’s because 70% of a bourbon’s flavor comes from the wood. With Noble Oak, we elegantly marry two of the world’s most coveted types of oak used in whiskey making: American White Oak and Spanish Sherry Oak. We use time honored methods and our patented Compression Finishing™ process to create an unrivaled bourbon with body, deep color, and richness of flavor from some of the finest sherry oak staves. The result is a Great Bourbon with a Noble Heart.
FIRST, we traditionally rest our bourbon in Charred New American White Oak barrels for a minimum of one year, developing sweet vanilla notes and a deep caramel tone.
THEN, through our patented Compression Finishing™ process, we add complexity and flavor using Spanish Sherry Oak Staves, the same wood used to craft the world’s finest and rarest whiskies. This process uses cycles of heat and pressure to maximize the interaction of wood and spirit. The resulting whiskey is full of richness and flavor with notes of dried fruit, cherry, vanilla and spice.
THE RESULT is Noble Oak: a Great Bourbon with a Noble Heart. A Bourbon with a Purpose In partnership with onetreeplanted.org, we help save our planet and restore our forests by replanting trees in deforested areas.
What Gary Says
Nose: Heavy oak, vanilla flan with freshly grated nutmeg and toasted orange zest; notes of raisins with corn syrup. Palate: Soft oaky vanilla with caramel corn, raisins, and a touch of pepper spice. Finish: Short to moderate in length with oak and dried fruit notes. Comments: While nothing offputting, it is a bit on the oaky side and clearly a young bourbon. I’m not a big fan of many ‘double-oak’ products, and this is no exception. The sherry stave finishing is well done – not too heavy handed, which I appreciate. I don’t care to pay this much for young bourbon, but considering their noble cause (and unique offering, not a lot of sherry-stave finished bourbons out there), it isn’t outrageous.
46% ABV $500 (when released; current 43% retails for $900+) Website
What the Distillery Says
Tasting Notes Colour: Autumn Gold. Nose: The Glenfarclas 40 Years Old, now at 43%, has a fresh sweetness and fruity Turkish delight aroma on the nose. Its freshness and power is similar to the first time you open a bag of freshly ground java coffee beans. Flavour: Sweet taste, followed by a peppering of caramel and chocolate explosions. Sherry power creeping its way to the back of your mouth releasing dark chocolate, raisins and sultanas. Finish: It ends with a sweet, crisp, dry & lingering finish.
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich, thick, intense fruitcake and mincemeat pie full of raisins, figs, stewed apples, pears, plums in an old English library; old leather furniture, pipe tobacco and musty smoke. Palate: Rich sherried fruit, coffee cake, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, oak, dark chocolate-covered espresso beans. Finish: Moderately long with lingering raisins, clove and oak. Comments: Damn this pour is dark! This is one of those drams where I actually prefer nosing it over drinking it. Don’t get me wrong – nothing offputting on the palate (for 40 yrs old, the oak isn’t as prominent as I’d expect – which I appreciate!) The nose is probably in my top 5 favorites with such depth, complexity and balance. The palate is very nice, but not in my top 5 – and or even top 10. Don’t get me wrong – it is really good, but less complex than the nose led me to expect. This sample was from the higher-proof version (this was first released at 46%, not sure when they brought it down to 43%), and from what I’ve read this was initially a bargain at around $500 (currently much more). That’s a lotta cheddar for a bottle of whiskey – although thankfully since I like smelling it more than drinking it, I’m gonna stretch this sample out for a while..
The Tyrconnell 16 Year Old Oloroso & Moscatel Cask Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey
46% ABV $100 Website We would like to thank Savona Communications for sending us a sample to review.
What the Distillery Says
The Tyrconnell® emerges victorious once again with the debut of its oldest and most unique cask-finished expression to date, The Tyrconnell® 16 Year Old Oloroso & Moscatel Cask Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey. Available globally in six countries, it will be released to select U.S. markets in June with a suggested retail price of $100.00 (750ml). Only a limited quantity has been produced due to its age and unique finish.
“We are thrilled to release The Tyrconnell 16 Year Old Oloroso & Moscatel Cask Finish, as the elegant expression demonstrates our commitment to innovation and quality,” said John Cashman, Global Irish Whiskey Ambassador for the Kilbeggan Distilling Company. “Building on the success of our award-winning 2017 and 2018 Tyrconnell limited releases, we continued to experiment with different aging techniques and we’re intrigued by these distinctively seasoned Spanish casks. The result is a completely unique – and delicious – Irish whiskey unlike any other.”
The only Irish whiskey of its kind on the market, this expression was aged for 16 years in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels before an additional maturation in wine casks from the Andalucia region of Southern Spain, which were initially seasoned with Oloroso sherry before a second seasoning with Moscatel wine. The result has a distinctive sweetness and roundness – honeysuckle, champagne and jasmine notes, with a nutty and caramelized taste that precedes a warm and dry finish with hints of grapefruit.
The Tyrconnell is made of just three ingredients – the finest Irish barley, yeast and pure Irish spring water. Produced in traditional pot stills, it is one of a rare few Irish whiskeys that utilizes double distillation, allowing more of the rich and natural flavors to remain. This creates a whiskey that carries a delicate flavor atop a creamier, more viscous presence.
The Tyrconnell distilling team began experimenting with different finishing techniques after discovering how amenable their light, soft and fruity whiskey was to a cask finish. In 2007, they released its first trio of cask-finished expressions: The Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Cask Finish, The Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Port Cask Finish and The Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish, all permanent expressions in the brand’s portfolio (as well as The Tyrconnell Original which is aged in ex-bourbon casks only). In March 2018, The Tyrconnell 15 Year Old Madeira Cask Finish debuted as a special limited-edition.
TASTING NOTES AROMA: An effervescent combination of honeysuckle, jasmine and brazil nut envelop the malty peach and ripe red apple skin aromas, with minerality reminiscent of Champagne TASTE: Minerality continues with a medley of nuts and gooey dark chocolate – caramelized sugars and honeycomb combine with the malt spice for added complexity FINISH: Dry and tannic as the oak becomes more prevalent but not before citrus and grapefruit leave a distinctive zest at the back of the mouth
The best way to enjoy this whiskey is on the rocks or neat to showcase the fruity aromas on the nose, its sweet, nutty flavor and spicy finish.
What Gary Says
Nose: Floral perfume notes, fresh apples, ripe peaches with raw honey, German Riesling with lingering tobacco smoke. Palate: Thick mouthfeel, fruity with grapes, peaches, pears, kiwi; sharpens a bit with nutmeg, hint of ginger, caramel cremes and a note of sake. Finish: Moderately long, drying with oak and . . . yep, hint of grapefruit. Comments: I usually find the ‘tasting notes’ provided to be – ahem – ambitious. To be fair, there isn’t a right or wrong answer – different folks get different flavors! And I get that those responsible for coming up with tasting notes are trying to put the best spin on that product. All that said, while my notes differed a bit, what was provided was very well done. I’m not to proud to admit that I had just ‘dry citrus zest’ in my notes, but when I read theirs (which I try to avoid until after I make mines, to avoid the power of suggestion), I thought “Damn – that WAS grapefruit!” Enough about their notes – this is a delicious Irish single malt whiskey. I love that Tyrconnel only double-distills, as it lends to a richer mouthfeel, and in my opinion more dense flavor. This takes water well without thinning out, and it opens up some of the caramel notes (I could see someone getting chocolate). The Moscatel finishing leaves me with thinking of a Riesling or Sake (although Champagne would be right there), which is unique as those aren’t flavors or aromas I get often in whiskey. Fans of Irish whiskey, especially geeks who love to expand their horizons when it comes to special cask finishes, won’t be disappointed.
BORN OF HEARTY GRAIN AND PATIENCE. The generous rye content is married with the sweetness of corn for a genteel interpretation of the venerable spirit. Patiently aged in air-dried oak barrels, its spicy character transcends mere resurgence. Behold – the renaissance of rye.
Mashed, fermented, distilled, aged at least one year in charred new oak barrels, and bottled by FEW Spirits, LLc. Evanston, IL
What Gary Says
Nose: Bright rye spice, mint, dill, lemon furniture polish with notes of pine. Palate: Crisp, bright sharp with lemon spice, mint and a touch of cinnamon. Finish: Short to moderate in length with dried mint and light pepper. Comments: I’m not sure where the ‘patience’ comes from in their claim, since they don’t list an age. It tastes fairly young to me, although I happen to like young rye (maybe the only whisk(e)y category I don’t mind in the 2-3 yr range). While I don’t mind young rye, I’d never cough up over $50 for a bottle of this. If you’re considering it for some other reason (maybe you live in Illinois and want to support local craft?), I’d urge you to try a pour first.
A voluptuously silky spirit, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban is aged first in bourbon casks for smooth, fruity notes. We then finish this single malt whisky in ruby port casks to create velvety depth.
Our Quinta Ruban port cask finish brings chocolate boldness to Glenmorangie’s renowned smooth style. Non chill-filtered for additional aroma and mouthfeel, it is savoured all over the world. Aroma: Dark mint chocolate, tangerines and Seville oranges mingle with sandalwood and walnut before giving way to a spicy finish of pepper and nutmeg. Taste: Mint chocolate and walnuts envelop the palate like velvet, laying the foundations for rose, Turkish delight and sweet Seville oranges. Finish: Long lasting silky aftertaste leaving dark chocolate mints and traces of orange.
What Gary Says
Nose: Mellow malt with rich notes of port, hints of milk chocolate, berries, smoke and leather. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel to start with green apples, pears, chocolate covered cherries; a sharp bite in the mid palate with some pepper spice. Finish: Moderately long, drying with dark fruit notes, oak and some pepper spice. Comments: I tasted this side-by-side with the original Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, which is 12 yrs old. I found the nose on this to be similar but with more depth and richness. On the palate, the mouthfeel was creamier at the start, but then got sharper with more depth in fruit. The finish was the most similar, maybe a tad longer. 2 yrs may not sound like a lot, but it was a bigger change than I expected. While a bit more sharp, I don’t mind that as Glenmorangie’s house style tends to be on the smooth side. The fact they’re offering this at the same price I think is outstanding. If you’re a Glenmorangie fan, and in particular a fan of the 12 yr Quinta Ruban, I’c consider this a must try.
