Various Irish whiskies tasted at The Toucan one evening. The descriptions are generally in 3 or 4 parts – colour, nose, palate and maybe a comment on the finish. The colour comments may well be meaningless as the light made it hard to tell.
Bushmills Malt 10 year old
Medium gold
Clean, medium intensity, aged nose of grain, biscuit, vanilla, dried orange peel, touch of smoke
Dry, integrated alcohol, full body, medium(+) intensity palate of barley, biscuit, smoke, spice, dried fruit and vanilla.
Medium length with complex, balanced finish.
Green Spot (pot still)
Medium amber
Clean, waxy, soapy, grain. Spice – coriander / cardamom.
Dry, integrated alcohol, full body, medium(+) intensity palate of grain, barley, wax and spice.
Greenore single grain whiskey
Grain, spice, vanilla, spirity
Dry, warming alcohol, full body, spice, vanilla
Red Breast 12 year old (pot still)
Light amber
Floral, grain, dried fruit, sherry
Smooth alcohol, medium body, medium intensity palate of grain, malt, biscuit, dried fruit, spice – cumin?
Long length, balanced finish with grain / malt and fruit.
Hewitts
Medium amber
Sour, burnt sugar, fruit, raisins, orange zest
Dry, aged, honey, spice, grain, malt
Locke’s 8 year old malt
Medium gold
Grain, malty, lemon, spice, honey, anise / carraway
Dry, medium body, integrated alcohol, medium(+) intensity palate of grain, anise, dusty spice, malt
Medium(+) length, malt lasting with light spice
Dunville’s
Pale gold
Spirity, heady, grain
Full body, warming alcohol, grain, spirit, spice, cumin, white pepper
Medium length with unbalanced alcohol, spice reminiscent of American rye whiskey
Connemara
Peaty!