The Irishman 12 Years Old Single Malt (43%, OB, 2016)

• Category: Irish single malt whiskey
• Origin: Cooley Distillery
• Bottling: Walsh Whiskey
• ABV: 43%
• Cost: £55.43

What they say:

At The Irishman we pride ourselves in continually raising the bar on the quality of Irish Whiskeys released, as well as offering something new and excitingly different. In September 2013 as we launched The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt, we certainly feel we have delivered on this promise. This outstanding whiskey is the outcome of 12 years maturation in exclusively first fill Bourbon casks. The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt is a timeless Irish Malt which is matured in first fill, flame charred Bourbon barrels. Each year we will select only a handful of the best barrels, to make ‘the cut’ for our 12 Year Old. A maximum of 6000 bottles will be produced each year. Each bottle comes numbered by batch as a mark of quality and is non-chill filtered.

Nose

From the exquisite aroma there is no mistaking the influence of the ex-Bourbon casks with the light sweet spicy notes of Vanilla, Cinnamon and even a tincture of Clove. All balanced with Apples and Pears, some charred wood and freshly cut hay.

Taste:

The initial sip is a burst of rich flavours, sweet with Vanilla delicately bolstered by Black Peppercorns, reluctantly giving way to a succulent fruity mid-section before slowly fading to leave a very satisfying grassy cereal conclusion.

Finish:

The fullness of the body fades quite quickly but leaves behind a lingering succulent flavour of Barley and Oak.
A touch of creamy dairy fudge and Dark Chocolate adds to the complexity.

What I say:

Dram #2 from the #WalshWhiskey tweet tasting was a sample of their 12 Year Old triple-distilled single malt bottled under ‘The Irishman’ moniker. 100% single malt matured for a minimum of 12 years in 1st fill Bourbon casks, bottled at 43% without chill-filtration and produced in limited batches each year.

Colour:

Amber gold (9/20)

Nose:

Sweet, heather honey, ground almond/marzipan, fruit pear frangipane tart, vanilla custard

Taste:

Lighter than the nose, vanilla cream/custard up front a touch of oaky tannin and some zest, white pepper, lemon, pear, cardamom & mascarpone sorbet

Finish:

Long, sweet and spicy/zesty, honey, sherbet, bakewell tart

Overall:

A superbly balanced, and entertaining dram, lively where it needs to be but not to exuberant. The more I drank of this, the more I admired its construction with just the right elements of sweet, creamy and spicy elements.

Score:  84/100

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