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Fahrenheit 173 - Whisky

"The king o' drinks, as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla or Glenlivit"   (R.L. Stevenson)

Five blended Irish whiskeys

 14 Mar 2010  

Interestingly, four of these five whiskeys are produced at the same dis­til­lery, namely Midleton in County Cork in the far south of Ireland. The fifth whiskey, Black Bush, is made at practically the other end of the "Emerald Isle" - at the Bushmills dis­til­lery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. But I'll start off with the most famous of all Irish whiskeys: Jameson, or Jamie as it's called by its fans =)

Jameson (NAS):
Fresh, fruity nose with apricot and orange but also a note of oak that mars the freshness a little. Fairly sweet palate with nice fruity notes but also fairly spicy and fiery. Sadly, just a hint of "pure pot still" - a few years ago the pot still character was more pro­nounced. (81 p)

Jameson 12 y.o.:
Weird nose with sherry fruits, barbecue sauce and a loud, sulphury off-note. The palate is much nicer: sweet and smooth with both "pure pot still" fruits and sherry fruits, but the sherry doesn't quite agree with the pot still character. Conclusion: swill it but don't smell it! (79 p)

Tullamore Dew:
Youngish nose with a note of sawdust, also dry and "dusty" (re­min­is­cent of rye whisky). Light, fresh palate with very nice notes of apples and pears, also fairly spicy and a little fiery. (82 p)

Powers:
Very nice fruity nose (typical of "pure pot still" whiskey) with citrus and apricot. On the palate it's at first fresh and fruity then de­velops spices. It's light-bodied yet a little fiery with a spicy, warming (yet slightly dis­ap­point­ing) finish. A classic, old-fashioned Irish whiskey. (83 p)

Black Bush:
Very nice nose with lovely fruity notes. Very nice, complex palate - quite rich and sweet (from the sherry wood maturation) but also spicy and a bit fiery. The finish is drying and fairly oaky and leaves you wanting more. (85 p)

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