Another treat provided by the venerable Rob Martin, whisky connoisseur deluxe! And another departure from my usual single malt scotch focus. This was released in a limited edition of 5000 half-sized bottles, at cask strength (57.5% ABV), after aging for 10 years in unknown casks.
Ireland doesn't have the same oak restrictions that the US and Scotland have - they only require "wooden" casks, since oak is hard to come by in Ireland and the whisky industry would have long ago extinguished the species from the island if they were required to use it - thanks to Teeling distillery tour for that bit of info. But I suspect that this spent its years in oak anyway, just based on the drying tannins I taste.
Bottled by the Connaught Whisky Company, the actual distiller here is unknown. Let's investigate:
Nose: Classically Irish whisky on the nose. Vanilla custard, bananas, malted grain, baking spices. Green apple, with the skin on, after baking it with cinnamon. This is more akin to Powers or Jameson than it is to Redbreast or Green/Yellow Spot (or Teeling, for that matter). But it does have a certain maturity on the nose. A hint of oak. Somewhat shy on the nose, and never fully unwinds, but still quite sweet and attractive.
Mouthfeel: Very thin, very silky.
Palate: The flavor development is quite delicate and rich, albeit simple: Bright apple wine, vanilla, oak, spices, malt bins, perhaps a drop or two of honey. Quite nice.
Finish: Surprisingly dry! Green or yellow apples. Some oak.
Verdict: A very decent Irish whisky, bordering on quite good, but doesn't quite push over the edge for me. It does sweet-and-tart apples very well, and is really really helped out by the cask strength, but it doesn't quite do enough to balance that out, and is lacking some of the rich-and-wild tropical fruit notes I get in Redbreast or Teeling or Yellow Spot, etc. This is a little shy, a little hesitant, but still worth your time.
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