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terscotch, plum and dried apricot, plus baking spice
and a whiff of smoke in the finish.
abv: 46% Price: $75
93
The Tyrconnell 16 Year Old (Ireland; Beam
Suntory, Chicago, IL). For full review see
page 22.
abv: 46% Price: $100
92
Barr an Uisce Wicklow Rare Small Batch
Blended Irish Whiskey (Ireland; Niche Import
Co., Cedar Knolls, NJ). Made by Wicklow Hills Whiskey
Company, cut with water from the family well,
and aged in former Bourbon and oloroso Sherry barrels.
The end result: a mild vanilla scent with hints
of pineapple and lemon zest and a light, creamy palate.
Look for vanilla, lemon cream and honey, finishing
smoothly with ginger, cinnamon and cayenne
heat. A splash of water teases out more vanilla, oak
and a hint of cocoa sweetness.
abv: 43% Price: $50
92
Jameson The Cooper’s Croze (Ireland; Pernod
Ricard USA, New York, NY). This new
blended Irish whiskey is intended to showcase
flavors imparted by the barrel. (A cooper makes
barrels; a croze is a tool used to cut grooves in the
barrel.) Look for a bright, fresh scent layered with
fresh pear and sweet vanilla, which is echoed on the
palate. Adding water coaxes out more vanilla, crème
brûlée and baking spice. A real sipper, this whiskey
warms all the way down.
abv: 43% Price: $70
92
Kinahan’s Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 10
Years (Ireland; Craft + Estate–The Winebow
Group, New York, NY). This golden whiskey has a
gentle honey aroma and complex, layered flavor.
Look for waxy honey, white flowers, dusty plum
and black pepper tingle, finishing long, with a brisk,
drying feel.
abv: 46% Price: $69
92
Knappogue Castle 16 Year Old Single Malt
(Ireland; Castle Brands, New York, NY). This
special-edition whiskey matured for 14 years in
former Bourbon cask, then spent additional time
in oloroso Sherry casks. The end result is a vanillacaramel
scent and relatively dark flavors. Oak, caramel
and toffee dominate, with baked pear in the
middle and drying to vanilla, cocoa and clove on the
finish.
abv: 40% Price: $100
92
Slane Irish Whiskey Blend (Ireland; Brown-
Forman, Louisville, KY). An easy, elegant sipper,
look for a gentle vanilla-caramel-almond profile
on the nose and palate as well as a silky feel. Mild
baked pear and dried apricot midpalate wind into
a cinnamon and clove finish. Sip or mix. Best Buy.
abv: 40% Price: $30
92
Tullamore Dew Trilogy 15 Years Old (Ireland;
William Grant & Sons, New York, NY). This
blended whiskey was matured in Sherry and Bourbon
casks and finished in former rum casks—the
latter an unusual touch for Irish whiskey. All this
yields vanilla sweetness on the nose and palate, plus
almond, creamy honey and an exceedingly long finish
with plenty of ginger and sweet cinnamon sparks.
abv: 40% Price: $80
91
Kinahan’s Blended Irish Whiskey (Ireland;
Craft + Estate–The Winebow Group, New York,
NY). Made with a combination of whiskeys made
with malted and unmalted barley, this is a gentle,
versatile spirit to sip or mix. The honeyed scent leads
into a light, sweet flavor profile that shows coconut
and vanilla, plus a bracing sprinkle of nutmeg and
cinnamon heat on the drying finish. Best Buy.
abv: 46% Price: $40
91
Powers Signature Release (Ireland; Pernod
Ricard USA, New York, NY). This Sherryfinished
Irish whiskey has a vanilla and honey fragrance,
with hints of white flowers and fresh basil.
The silky palate echoes the vanilla and honey, plus
juicy pear and finishing with dark chocolate and
clove. Add a splash of water to soften the potent
alcohol heat and watch the flavor profile subtly
shift: more pear appears, alongside hints of white
flowers and white peach, finishing with white chocolate
and nutmeg. Best Buy.
abv: 46% Price: $45
91
Redbreast Lustau Edition (Ireland; Pernod
Ricard USA, New York, NY). This robust
newcomer is a collaboration between the master
blender at Midleton Distillery and winemakers at
Bodegas Lustau; the whiskey spends time in former
oloroso Sherry barrels. Big, spicy flavors sweep
over the palate in waves: vanilla, waxy honey, apple
butter, dried apricot and dried fig, drying to chamomile
tea and oak midpalate, and winding into a rich
honey finish.
abv: 46% Price: $70
91
The Pogues (Ireland; MS Walker, Somerville,
MA). For full review see page 22. Best Buy.
abv: 40% Price: $40
91
The Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Cask (Ireland;
Beam Suntory, Chicago, IL). This single
malt has a fresh, bright scent with stone fruit and
vanilla. The drying, relatively hot palate skews a bit
darker, deepening to cocoa, oak, almond and dried
apricot, plus a smoky hint in the finish and plenty of
cinnamon and clove finish. A splash of water helps
tone down the heat and softens flavors to vanilla,
peach and ginger sizzle.
abv: 46% Price: $75
90
Brothership Irish-American Whiskey Aged 10
Years (Ireland/USA; Millstone Spirits Group,
Philadelphia, PA). For full review see page 22.
abv: 45% Price: $50
90
Flight of The Earl’s Blended Irish Whiskey
(Ireland; Vision Wine & Spirits, Lyndhurst,
NJ). The gentle honey scent edged with vanilla leads
into the vanilla-forward palate, which also shows
caramel, oak, and baking spice on the raucous, relatively
hot finish. A splash of water tames the heat
nicely, dialing it back to vanilla and honey, with
hints of pear and a mellow fade.
abv: 40% Price: $24
90
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey (Ireland; Prestige
Beverage Group, St. Paul, MN). For full
review see page 22. Best Buy.
abv: 40% Price: $27
90
The Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Port Cask (Ireland;
Beam Suntory, Chicago, IL). This
single malt has fresh, bright scents of pear, vanilla
and almond. The palate shows darker fruit: plum
and dried apricot, layered with almond and hints
of smoke and clove. A splash of water mellows the
potent alcohol heat, but dilutes the flavors to milder
almond, coconut and just a whisper of stone fruit.
abv: 46% Price: $75
90
Tullamore Dew Single Malt 14 Years Old (Ireland;
William Grant & Sons, New York, NY).
A quartet of casks (Bourbon, Sherry, Port, Madeira)
yield a gentle, mellow sipper, with vanilla on the
nose and palate, plus cocoa and dark honey accents.
Compared to the complex, bold 18-year-old expression,
this is a much more restrained sip.
abv: 41.5% Price: $70
89
Clontarf 1014 (Ireland; Castle Brands, New
York, NY). This honey-hued blended whiskey
offers vanilla, coconut and almond aromas and
flavors plus touches of menthol and honeysuckle.
The finish is quite spicy; cayenne and cinnamon
prickle the tip of the tongue.
abv: 40% Price: $30
89
Spade & Bushel Cask Strength 10 Years Old
Single Malt Irish Whiskey (Ireland; Millstone
Spirits Group, Philadelphia, PA). The fragrance of
fresh-cut apples leads the nose. On the palate, look
for green apple, pear and grass perked up with herbaceous
and menthol notes, plus a hint of smoke,
smoothed with fleeting honey and vanilla-mint
sweetness. The drying finish combines spearmint,
ginger and black pepper heat. Limited edition.
abv: 57.7%
Price: $40 for 375 ml
89
The Dubliner Irish Liqueur (Ireland; Prestige
Beverage Group, St. Paul, MN). Made with
Irish whiskey and honeycomb liqueur, mix or serve
as a dessert pairing. The distinctly sweet aroma
hints at pecan pie. The palate isn’t overwhelmingly
sweet and sips well, suggesting nuts, waxy honey,
white chocolate, nutmeg and cinnamon.
abv: 30% Price: $28
87
Paddy Irish Whiskey (Ireland; Sazerac Company,
Frankfort, KY). Pale gold in the glass,
look for honey and vanilla, plus a thin ribbon of
juicy apple and a faint plastic-y note. Recommended
for mixing.
abv: 40% Price: $20
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