Old Tom Horan
Finest Blended Irish Whiskey
40% ABV
$20
What the Blender Says (sort of)
Note that we don’t have a web-site link above, as this isn’t your typical whisk(e)y. We found a great article from the Houston Chronicle though that gives the backstory. While we don’t know the distillery or age, the article explains that the owner of Spec’s (a Texas family-owned liquor chain) had an opportunity to take some bulk whiskey off some Irish distillery, and with that created Old Tom Horan Irish Whiskey. The namesake is a retire public relations maestro who is active in promoting Irish pride and heritage in Houston, TX.
What Gary Says
Nose: Sweet cereal and malt mash, honey, freshly baked and buttered biscuits, a hint of toffee.
Palate: Smooth and sweet with honey, light brown sugar, toffee, a slightly sour oak note.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with that sour oak note.
Comments: Ironically enough, I bought this because of the name. No, I’ve never met “the Tom Horan” for which this was named, but I work with a gentleman named Tom Horan. This whiskey reminds me of Jameson more than a bit. It has more grainy notes on the nose, but in a side-by-side, the palates were quite similar. A couple of bucks less than Jameson, this strikes me as a pretty straight-forward ‘you get what you pay for’ bottle. If you like ‘smooth Irish whiskey’, for the money this likely won’t disappoint, but also isn’t likely to be too impressive either.
It should be more then a couple bucks cheaper. It is not as smooth going down and I think the flavor of Jamison is much better.
I was aisle shopping at a BevMo in California (visiting, I don’t live there) and was surprised to see this on the bottom shelf for $18. Since my last name is also Horan, how could I pass it up? My son and I each bought one and of course I had to take a picture and send it to the relatives. Everyone got a laugh.
Poured a glass to try it out while doing a search which brought me to this article. Pretty much nails it. I generally get Jameson Cask or IPA when I am in my Irish drinking mood, and while maybe not as smooth, the novelty and price make Old Toms good with me.
Let’s be careful out there!
A good daily drinker, though Jameson and Green Spot are much preferred to me.