Distillery/Brand: The Irishman
ABV: 40%
Region: Ireland
Colour: Young Sauternes

Nose: 23
Taste: 23
Finish: 22
Balance: 22

Review
Now I honestly don’t know how many of you have heard of The Irishman. I hadn’t heard anything about it till a few days ago until a friend popped it out of his bar for a surprise curve ball at a tasting.

And what curve ball! With a corny name like that I was expecting this to be some cheap attempt at whisky making – how wrong I was.

Triple distilled and aged in both bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks this one’s won quite a few medals which I was, frankly, ignorant about. With only 6000 bottles in every batch this one is numbered L0170 – what ever that means!

Nose: Robust sherry with a lovely mix of cherries, dark raisins, chocolate chips with a nutmeg and chili grating on top. Finished off with a mist of orange blossom and vanilla fudge.

Palate: As creamy as the nose suggests with the same dark raisins and chocolate chips you find on the nose. There are then the toasted almonds, apricots and dark grapes in a swirl of orange liqueur – like Cointreau.

Finish: Bitter chocolate. Long with a handful of chestnuts.

I love moments like these. When something unassuming takes you on such a splendid ride!

Rating: 90