Clonakilty Port Cask Finish Irish Whiskey

RANDOM IRISH WHISKEY SHOWDOWN CLONAKILTY PORT CASK FINISH IRISH WHISKEY LIMAVADY SINGLE BARREL SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY YELLOW SPOT 12-YEAR SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY This “random Showdown” review is a bit incongruous. The Clonakilty and Limavady are both NAS, while the Yellow Spot carries a 12-year age statement; the Limavady is a single malt, while the Clonakilty and Yellow Spot are blends (the former sourced from different distilleries, and the latter a single-sourced blend of various cask finishes). The Clonakilty and Limavady are marketed at similar price points, while the Yellow Spot is typically triple that. The common denominator is the fact that each is a proper Irish Whiskey—and any common denominator is good enough for another Showdown. The purpose of these Showdown reviews is not to declare a winner per se, but rather to better understand some of the subjectivity of whisk(e)y appreciation as a function of context and comparison. CLONAKILTY PORT CASK FINISH IRISH WHISKEY Burnt-orange amber in color, the second darkest (or lightest) of the group, akin to Pantone 144. Fruity nose shows apples, peaches, sweet cherries, a little honey, and some vanilla. The palate is sweet and gently creamy—a little like strawberry ice cream—while remaining light on its feet. There’s a touch of bitterness on the back end—adding complexity rather than negativity—before transitioning to a dash of white pepper and lingering honey and vanilla on the finish. I’ve never had Clonakilty before—I’d never even heard of it—and it was a pleasant surprise (no, I’m not channeling Emily Dickinson with all of the em dashes). From the label, I was expecting something heavier, given the port finish. The whiskey has a little weight, but overall it’s quite fruity. This Clonakilty expression (there are several) can be found for $50-55. Would I buy it again? Yes. 3.75 on the Distiller scale. 43.6% ABV. Non-chill filtered. Batch # 038. 7,000 bottles produced. Unclear if E150a coloring is added. LIMAVADY SINGLE BARREL SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY In the glass, shows as dried hay and light amber, and is the lightest in color of the three whiskies in this Showdown (Pantone 143). Initially, there’s an brief herbaceous aspect (parsley? Bell pepper?) which blows off. Distinct banana chip note, along with Circus Peanuts marshmallow candy, some Cheerios cereal, and after much back-and-forth between the three whiskies in this Showdown, some butterscotch. There’s also a dank, damp wood note that is not offputting per se but rather conjures up notions of Irish Whiskey aged in underground cellars. Some nice oiliness on the palate, with more of the circus peanuts, before a peppery note kicks in along with the same Circus Peanuts, some not unpleasant bitter espresso, and a touch of toffee on the finish. The Limavady is the only single-malt, single-barrel Irish whiskey in this group. Subjectively, it comes across as “tighter” than the other two—and concomitantly, more intellectually challenging to describe. The single-barrel designation means there can be bottle variation from year to year, and even intra-year. One cannot plot a trendline against a single data point, but my experience with this data point will coerce me to seek out another data point in due time. At $40-50, the Limavady is a relative value, especially considering its uniqueness. Would I buy it again? Yes. 3.5+ on the Distiller scale. As a side note: take a look at the picture accompanying the review. The Limavady has the most difficult stopper cap that I’ve ever experienced in any ingestible this side of a child-proof prescription cap. It is solid glass with a silicone seal ring, and requires the supplicant to work his or her ass off to get to the internals. I had to hold it in both hands, and then push up on the ventral side with both thumbs in order to free it. Distinctive, but very high maintenance. So I checked the website, which states that the bottle is “paying homage to the original 1750s design…Featuring an old-school ‘blob top.” I’m an old-school guy myself, but the perceived beauty of this so-called blob top is analogous to the skinned-knuckle aesthetics of a Ford Model A hand crank. 46% ABV. Barrel # 0143. Bottle # 746 of 846. Unclear if E150a coloring is added, but this one is the lightest of the three. YELLOW SPOT 12-YEAR SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY Color is a deep burnt orange, the darkest of the three (Pantone 159). Tasted alongside the others, the nose is like a cozy blanket. It evokes orange oil, sandalwood, fruitcake, mulled cider, sandalwood again, some vanilla, and something strawberry—think Strawberries Romanoff at Sparks in NYC (which has Grand Marnier in the whipped cream). This whiskey is soothing and calming, like an olfactory deep-tissue massage. The palate is viscous and coats the tongue; it is slightly woody, with vanilla, yellow raisins, and a reemergence of the orange oil on the nose. The proof is nicely integrated, with a gentle reminder of its presence on the back end, finishing with a pleasant woody vanilla note. As soon as the Yellow Spot touches your lips, there’s little doubt that you’re drinking something special. I’ve now had the Green, Yellow, Blue, and Red Spot Irish whiskies. Yellow Spot is delicious, and it should be, given the price (around $150—when it can be found). It’s expensive. But as good as it is, in my book, it only ranks third in that list (Blue #1, Red #2, Yellow #3, Green #4), which is a testament to the entire line. Would I buy it again? (This was a gift). Yes. I’d like to always have all the Spots (Green, Yellow, Blue, Red) on hand. 4.5+ on the Distiller scale. 46% ABV. Non-chill filtered. E150a coloring added. CONCLUSION This was an enlightening Showdown. Each whiskey has distinct attributes that were reinforced in the presence of the others. The Clonakilty is the fruitiest and sweetest; the Limavady a bit tigther and more focused, in the same way that a young cabernet sauvignon can be (though whiskey, of course, will not soften with age as a cab would). The Yellow Spot is in another class: it is confident and authoritative and grabs your attention, in comparison to the other two. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass. N.B.: The entirety of this review was written while listening to Dave Brubeck’s “Time Out.” on Apple Music. I saw Dave Brubeck in concert about 35 years ago, either before or immediately after their tour of the USSR—which (much to my chagrin) dates me as no spring chicken. But I do recall tapping my feet in 5/4 time to “Take Five.”

In the summer of 2020, I’d purchased the Clonakilty Bordeaux Cask Strength 9 Year Single Grain we had available in local stores as a FW&GS exclusive. At the time, I was into these bottles, since such bottlings generally provide a unique experience. While I don’t have that bottle to taste anymore and make a comparison, what was most notable was that it felt fresh on the tongue. The proof was 112 yet not overwhelming, and it was both creamy and fruity, like strawberries in cream. The finish was peppery, and overall, it was the type of bottle I was glad to have partaken of, but not sure I would purchase again. It did make me curious about Clonakilty, a word I really like and a brand I’d never encountered before. The stores here were carrying two other bottlings: the Port Cask Finished Irish and a Single Grain Bordeaux Cask Finish at 87 proof. They were both $52.99 and for a while I wasn’t sure I wanted to drop that much on what might turn out to be, despite my enjoyment of the Cask Strength version of the latter, an experiment. But when the Port Cask dropped by $10 on clearance, I nabbed it straight away, and nosing it now, I have no regrets on spending $42 for a bottle of this quality. The port cask influence is immediately apparent. The nose is rich with fruit, wine with a lingering trace of something vegetal, grassy and fresh and not at all clashing with the fruit but balanced with it, augmenting. Oddly, I want to say it’s the faint trace of fresh cut asparagus. I’m not sure if that will put people off, but the nose is definitely one of the finer and more unique noses I’ve ever experienced in an Irish whisky. Proceeding to the palate, we find the same fruit flavors, mostly berry but also the red apple one expects with an Irish whisky as well as an edge of cereal grain, which, to an extent, makes me think of a higher quality Tullamore D.E.W., although this doesn’t taste like Tully 12, which is the only higher quality Tully I’ve yet had. There’s a slight edge of bite from the alcohol that I don’t actually remember being there with the cask strength Clonality, which is odd and which is also preventing me from ranking this slightly higher than I am. I’m thinking that the bite is coming from the bottle’s youth (unlike the Cask Strength version, this one doesn't carry an age statement), though while this might not be as smooth as something like Knappogue Castle 12, I find it more interesting, and would likely opt for another bottle of Clonakilty over venturing there again. The finish is moderate in length, and the alcohol bite on the tongue evolves into black pepper with the fruit fading. In the end, I’m not sure I’m going to rush out to purchase the regular strength Bordeaux Cask bottling anytime soon (unless it goes on clearance), but this certainly has me wondering if I should maybe dip into the Cask Strength version again, with a view on seeing if I missed something the last time around. Might sound funny but even in the two years since I’ve had that, I feel like my ability to tease out flavors and pinpoint an overall sense of my enjoyment of whisky has evolved, and with 80 or so bottles still available online, it does have me wondering if maybe the Cask Strength Bordeaux Finished version wasn’t a hidden gem or diamond in the rough that I should try picking up again.

Rating: 10/23 Port finishes can be overwhelming, especially for delicate spirits. Hopefully Clonakilty hasn't overdone it with this one. N: Kind of light, but with syrupy fruits (strawberry, peach, black plum) with some modestly toasted nuts surrounded by a thick ring of minerals. Decadent, yet oddly restrained. Touches of grain, but not a lot of personality from the base spirit shows here. P: Sweet and fruity, but thin and hot with weird spices that quickly overwhelm the fruit. Now the fruit just tastes thin. Strawberry, blackberry, and ripe black plum flesh. A bit of nuttiness with some buckwheat vibes to it. There's a bit of lingering funkiness that I can't quite get past, kind of like a worn out PX sherry. F: Surprisingly bitter with dry tannins and a funkiness that doesn't disperse too much. - Conclusion - This is a bit too funky while still being young and flat. That port takes over a bit too much. I think that this is almost certainly better than a 10. I liked Clonakilty American Oak significantly better. Coming back to this, I'm getting some twizzlers. Still some nuttiness, but a lot of twizzlers. It reminds me of youngish Glenfarclas. Maybe around 15 years (that's young for Glenfarclas). The flavor is still muddled here though. This is beating The Sexton (9/23), but isn't quite on the same level as Evan William's Bottled In Bond (10/23). I think that rating for the Evan Williams might be a hair low (at least because this sip has had a lot of air and has mellowed out and gained a little nuttiness). This is certainly farther from The Sexton than the Evan Williams, so I'm giving this a 10. I could be convinced that this might be an 11, but a 12 would be a hard sell. I could even be convince to go down to an 8 if I came back to this and its bitter flavors lingered more. Coming back for the final sip, Dudognon Reserve (10/23, but possibly a bit underrated) is beating this. Thank you @jdriip for this sample!

Golden straw color. Wonderful nose of green apple, honey, peach, papaya, butterscotch, vanilla. Pleasantly viscous mouthfeel. A little white pepper bite initializes the finish, with lingering vanilla following. Alcohol nicely balanced (43.6% ABV). What I’d described on my last noted (1/15/24) as some slight bitterness I no longer detect, but see rather as a gentle espresso note. This is quality Irish Whiskey (non-chill filtered) at a reasonable price ($50-55). Easy drinking; no hard edges. Killed this bottle this evening but I’ll definitely look for another. 4.0 on the Distiller scale.

There’s a powerful fruity note on the nose which reminds me of powdered kool-aid fruit punch mix. It dissipates with time in the glass allowing some honey and vanilla to poke through. Semi-sweet, a little viscous and peppery with vanilla and strawberry notes on the palate. Medium finish is slightly bitter and peppery.

Buy if you find it, more complex fruit notes and longer finish than most Irish whiskeys. I got raspberry, nectarine peel, a little cherry, hint of pear on top of the vanilla and almond notes. Excited to see what Clonakilty produces with their own distillate!