October 28, 2014

A bunch of mad unofficial Irish

Quite a few casks of ‘probable undisclosed Bushmills’ have made an appearance lately. Let’s have a wee selection, but first, a blend.

Teeling Whiskey (46%, OB, Irish blend, 2013)

A blend that’s been finished in rum casks. I had found Teeling’s 21yo malt quite brilliant (WF 88). Colour: white wine. Nose: very fruity, as expected. A fruit salad covered with custard and a dash of white pepper. Now it’s no fruit bomb, and many Irish are even fruitier in my book, but it’s clean and easy. Goes more toward apple juice after a short while. Mouth: creamy and fruity, I guess the proportions of malt are quite high. Vanilla again, Provence melon, this apple juice, ripe apples, two slices of banana, three slices of tinned pineapple… All that is a easy as whisky can be. I don’t quite get the rum, I guess it’s mingled. Finish: short but clean and fruity, on the same fruity notes. A little honey. Comments: an Irish blend for Irish malt drinkers, I’d say. We’re not that far from pure pot still either. SGP:641 - 82 points.

Ireland 22 yo 1991/2014 (46.6%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams and La Maison du Whisky)

This one by the extremely reliable and superlatively courteous people at The Nectar, Belgium. Colour: white wine. Nose: a fruit salad. Mangos, bananas, pineapples, papayas, then rather blackcurrant and blackberries. You may add a little lime blossom and honeysuckle and only then, a touch of oak. Extremely seductive, this is whiskey for all ages. Wait… Mouth: pure fruit juice. Multi-vitamins, of course. Then rather liquorice allsorts, a little cranberry juice, maybe pomegranates. Creamy, rich, yet tart mouth feel. Goes down too easily. Finish: quite long, extremely fresh, on some kind of blend of grapefruit and citron liqueurs. Comments: it’s hard to find anything bad to say against this one. It’s extremely sexy whisky. SGP:751 - 87 points.

Irish Single Malt 22 yo 1991/2013 (52.4%, The Whisky Agency, Liquid Library, refill barrel, 191 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: same whisky, just bigger and a tad more spirity/varnishy because of the higher strength. With water: grassier, sharper, more sauvignony, a little less ‘Bushmills’. Maybe more profound as well. Mouth (neat): same style once again but this is zestier when unreduced, greener, much more on lime and lemon than the ueberfruity Nectar. With water: both converge now, but this one remains less creamy and rather greener. Finish: quite long, and now frankly… similar. Almost identical. Comments: I think I liked this one a wee tad better because it was a little more challenging, but that’s not enough to come up with a different score. SGP:651 - 87 points.

Ireland 24 yo 1989/2014 (42.2%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams and La Maison du Whisky)

From a rum cask, apparently. Colour: straw. Nose: this is different. Wilder, more varnishy, more acetic than the 1991, thus less emphatically fruity. It’s not unlike nosing some kind of sweeter manzanilla. A touch of mustard, cherry stems, blackcurrant buds, natural coconut… And then, indeed, maybe a little rum. Also, I cannot not think of some ultra-young big white Pessac-Leognan. Honeysuckle and lily. Mouth: same feeling, this is less sexy, more acetic and acidic, more winey (dry white) than the 1991s. The citrus fruits are leading the pack here, then dry white grapes, then fresh almonds. A rather unusual style. Finish: not too long and more on tinned fruits. Guavas, for example. A wee touch of vinegar again in the aftertaste. Comments: super-good, but the 1991s, especially the one for The Nectar, were a little more ‘immediate and obvious’. SGP:661 - 85 points.

Irish Single Malt 25 yo 1988/2013 (51.1%, The Whisky Agency, barrel, 212 bottles)

Another one from Antrim, most probably. Colour: straw. Nose: the previous 1989 without the wee acetic touches. Which makes it immaculate and pristine. Fresh fruits galore (bananas, melons, peaches), then the best jelly babies (the least chemical ones) and a cup of earl grey tea. A little hay in the background. With water: oh lovely, there’s now a little earth, clay, cumin, wulong tea… Mouth (neat): wham! The first 1991, with more depth. Exceptional combination of citric fruits with mangos and passion fruits, without any dullness or ‘commercialness’ (excuse me?) One of the best Irish I’ve ever tried – but I haven’t tried thousands. With water: quinces! Enough said. Finish: long, majestic and light at the same time. The freshness is amazing. Comments: a great Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives. Could be my fav Irish indeed. SGP:651 - 91 points.

Okay, one more 1988…

Irish Single Malt 26 yo 1988/2014 (50.4%, Ramseyer’s Whisky Connection, 175 bottles)

Colour: Pale gold. Nose: it seems to me, but I may be wrong, that this one’s the closest to the officials. But then of course, it’s got more power, more zing, and a better definition. Ripe peaches and vanilla cake, bananas and acacia honey, plum juice, a little quince, even one or two strawberries… And behind that, notes of pastries that keep it fuller and ‘not-just-a-fruit bomb’. With water: love these notes of grapefruit skin. Mouth (neat): ha. More bonbons than in the TWA, perhaps more liqueur, marshmallows, kiwis and litchis, even rose-flavoured Turkish delights... If the previous one was a pinot gris, this one’s a gewürz. Fun! With water: rather more bubblegum and fruit drops, without any dullness. Finish: good length, clean. I seem to find a smidge of pastis, but that may be my Frenchness. Comments: almost the same very, very, and I mean very high level as the TWA, which was just a wee notch more complex in my opinion. Wow, the Irish! SGP:651 - 90 points.

Ireland 26 yo (51.6%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams and La Maison du Whisky)

A rather mysterious bottling, the label just wouldn’t tell us more than the age. Maybe a vatting of several vintages? Or another 1988? The price is rather, cough, cough… high (315€). Colour: gold. Nose: there is something a little acetic once again but that would go away – and quick. But it remains pretty acidic, tart, on skins and peelings, with white peaches, green gooseberries, greengages as well, walnuts, blackcurrants… Don’t I also find a little brine? I may be dreaming. With water: exquisite whiffs of almond oil and a little seaweed, beyond the fruit peelings. Mouth (neat): this is big and this is quite perfect. We’re far from the fruit bombs here, this is grassy and even steely at first sips, and it’s only after a good ten seconds that the fruity cavalry starts to assail your taste buds. Tangerines, grapefruits, kiwis… All that is very fresh, pure, and chiselled. All for the better. With water: something a little oriental. Orange blossom water? Finish: of medium length, on white fruits and, perhaps, a little soft curry. The softest curry. A few herbs as well. Comments: a very complex one, loved it. Now only one question, why don’t the Distillers do cask strength anymore? Unless I’m mistaken… I remember a 1984/1996 that was superb (WF 90). SGP:561 - 90 points.

Well, I believe that was my ‘highest’ Irish session ever. Almost a revelation!

Check the index of all Irish I've tasted so far