Tag: 46% ABV

Tyrconnel Irish Whiskey 16 Year

TJ Provost

I really enjoyed Tyrconnel Single Malt without an age statement. It scored an 87/100 so I was excited to try this Tyrconnel 16 Year. My brain intrinsically equates age with quality, but if you look at how Kavanagh 16 Year scored, you also know that’s not always the case. Aging a whiskey can add depth, but there is also point where spending more time in the cask hurts the whiskey.

So how does Tyrconnel stand up to spending 16 years in a barrel? The time does add depth to this whiskey, but it also adds a few sharp edges. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very Sip Worthy dram.

The Nose

Tyrconnel 16 Year has a wonderful nose. It punches you in your olfactory senses with malt, floral notes, and spice. The 16 years really concentrated the nose in a delightful way. It was a struggle to decide whether to sip or smell this dram in a Glencairn Whisky Glass.

Tyrconnel Irish Whiskey 16 Year

The Palate

The first thing I appreciated was the dryness, and then the malt. The time spent in Oloroso Sherry Casks seasoned with Moscatel wine really shines through on the swallow. If you like dry, this will blow your socks off. The finish is deep and strong. There is malt, and spice, and sweetness that really hits you over the head with their flavors. Tyrconnel 16 year is not subtle. These are powerful, strong flavors, concentrated over 16 years.

The Score – Tyrconnel Irish Whiskey 16 Year

I really enjoyed this Tyrconnel 16 Year and will not turn down a dram if your putting it in my hand, which is why this Single Malt Irish Whiskey scored an 88/100. It is Sip Worthy, but…it didn’t make it into my Whiskey Safe. I’d drink it again, but I’m not going to buy it again. At least not until I try a lot of other Whiskeys. I’m not going to turn my nose up at a glass of Tyrconnel 16 Year, but for the price, I’ve got better options.

Color

Dark yellow with a little touch of murkiness.

Proof

46.0% ABV | 92 Proof

Pros:

  • Amazing nose.
  • Complex, layered malty-ness.
  • Just a hint of salt under a tidal wave of sweet, spice, and dry oak.
  • Hints at a dry white wine. If you like “dry” alcohol, this might be right up your alley.

Cons:

  • At $95 this is too rich for my blood. The cost to value just doesn’t add up.
  • Tyrconnel 16 Year has some surprising rough edges. If you equate age with smooth, you might be in for a little dissonance with this whiskey.
  • At just about half the price, Knappognue Castle 12 Year is going to give you a lot more bang for the buck.

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Redbreast 15

TJ Provost

I found this bottle of Redbreast 15 after a year of trying to find a bottle that I didn’t have to drive three hours each way to try. You better believe I grabbed it when I saw it on the shelf at a nearby store!

Redbreast 15

The Nose

The nose on this Redbreast 15 is a beautiful thing. The base is all malt and rich dark fruits that ends with a bit of nuttiness. Compared to Redbreast 12, this is stronger, richer, but very similar.

The Palate

The mouth feel of this Redbreast is slightly different than Redbreast 12. It has a dryer mouth feel, which I think is caused by the extra time spent in the barrel? Those extra years in oak gave imparted a bit more astringency that leads to a dry, slightly acidic finish. It’s not overpowering, and it is balanced by malt, vanilla, and a touch of pepper. Underneath all that is the lovely butter cookies I love so much in Redbreast 12.

The Score – Redbreast 15

Redbreast 15 is a very enjoyable dram. It may seem strange that I’m giving this a lower score than Redbreast 12, but those extra years in the barrel change some of what I love about the original. Don’t get me wrong, a 91/100 still puts this Irish Whiskey well above almost every other bottle I’ve tried, but it doesn’t unseat my all time favorite Irish Whiskey, which is of course Redbreast 12. Will that change? I don’t know, but so far nothing has come close.

Color

Deep amber and honey that captures the light perfectly.

Proof

46.0% ABV

Pros:

  • For the well trained Whiskey Lover this is a complex dram with a deep flavor profile.
  • Amazing nose.
  • I got to check something off on my bucket list.

Cons:

  • This hard to find, so if you do love it, you might not be able to find it.
  • At $100 bucks, the price to value drops off a bit.

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

TJ Provost

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is a 50/50 blend of malt and grain whiskies. The mix contain a majority of 4 year old grain whiskey blended with 7 year old malt whiskey. After aging in bourbon barrels two whiskies are blended and finally finished for 6 months in ex-Flor de Caña rum casks.

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

The Nose

The nose of Teeling Small Batch hints at deeper levels, but doesn’t quite get all the way there. There are ripe fruits that ebbs and flows with each sniff. It would have been more enchanting but the grain whiskey washes out a lot of the notes of the malt whiskey. A buddy gifted me these Irish Tuath Glasses and I have to say they are perfect to sip a bit of Irish Whiskey from.

The Palate

The palate is clean with no oils. The front of my tongue appreciates some sweetness and malt that turns to a hint of leather on the mid tongue. The funk left on my tongue cost this whiskey some points.

The Score

The blend of grain to malt whiskey might just be too heavily weighted to the grain whiskey for me to enjoy this. I feel that the grain whiskey washes out a lot of what I like in Irish Whiskey. There is just a bit of funk hiding in this whiskey where those two blends just don’t quite go together 100%.

I still enjoyed sipping it, but I kept thinking about the $40 price tag. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey scored a 70/100, making it just barely Sip Worthy. The real issue with the price is that I scored Paddy’s Old Irish Whiskey the same 70/100, and I can get it for $20 a bottle.

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

Color

Light honey brown amber.

Proof

46.0% ABV

Pros

  • There are some nice sweet and malt flavors hiding in there.

Cons

  • At $40 a bottle I can get more value by buying Paddy’s Old Irish Whiskey.
  • There is just a little roughness in the middle of the sip that I couldn’t stop appreciating.

See all Whiskeys!

Silkie Irish Whiskey

matthewpesham
Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey

If you like Scotch you may like this Silkie blended Irish Whiskey.

If I’d known it was peated when I saw I would have have bought it. Scotch and anything that is peated just reminds my of licking ash trays, so it is really not for me.

Silkie Irish Whiskey

The nose is all smoke and I can’t taste anything but ash tray, so for me, this is sadly I Had To Pour It Out.

Silkie Irish Whiskey earns a 0/100 from me as I literally cannot drink it. Just keep in mind I don’t like smoke, so you might like it if you like Scotch.

Color

Straw gold with hints of amber.

Proof

46% ABV

Pros

  • If you like smoke, this may be right up your alley.

Cons

  • I’m not a fan of smoke or peated whiskeys so this was akin to licking an ash tray for me.