This was a fun night. Our bench for the dining room table seemed to work. Also working was Drew's charm and animal magnetism, literally. We tasted some interesting Irish whiskies and belittled Sterling simply for being Irish. He's a good sport and had a good time.
Here's what was tasted:
Tullamore Dew Pot Still Blend William Grant and Sons
Very light smell - pine wood
Trails lightly
Nothing much in the way of taste. I didn't add any water.
Tyrconnell Pot Still Single Malt Triple Distilled from Malted Barley 40% ABV
Cooley Distillery
Smelled slightly flowery
First taste is very slightly rubbery
Slight vanilla/oak
Trails alcohol
I did not add any water.
Green Spot 9 yr 40% ABV Single Pot Still whisky - malted and unmalted barley
Irish Distillers in Middleton Distillery, Cork, Ireland
Blend with 25% aged in sherry casks.
Smells vanilla cream sweet
Very little alcohol burn/taste
With water- very rubbery/bitter
Trails rubber
Finnegan 8 yr old Blend Made for Total Wine by Cooley Distillery 40% ABV
Smells very slightly caramel
Very rubbery like the Glenfarclas 10yr I had in Scotland
With water - VERY RUBBERY!!
Bad flavor. How can I say that differently? Not to my liking.
Powers Gold Label Blend of Pot Still and Grain whisky 40% ABV
Smells slightly floral
Bitter taste at first
Trails sweet
Easy to drink
Redbreast 12 yr Single Pot Still (malted and unmalted barley) 40% ABV
Smells oaky/sweet
Tastes peppery/very slightly rubbery
Trails slightly wood
Bushmills 16 yr Aged in American Bourbon, Oloroso and then married in Port casks
Can smell the sherry
Tasted slightly oak/sweet
No trailing taste
Connemara Peated Single Malt Cooley Distilery Older Bottling-Possibly 70s or 80s
40% ABV
Smells slightly of cork/slightly salami
Tastes subtly peat with salami
With water slightly sweet at first
Definitely has a whisky with peat flavor
Connemara Peated Single Malt Cooley Distillery More Recent Bottling
Smells slightly band aid/rubbery
Peat flavor at first
Tuned to taste the peat and then the whisky. Are they concentrating on the peat
smokiness for the marketing side? Different palette for distillery powers that be?
Both were excellent, whatever the case!!
Thanks to Myra for allowing such a comparison to be made!!