Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey

How do you follow up a review of Highland Park 18? Well, you don’t. You don’t even try. So I am swimming down the Straits of Moyle, across the Irish Sea, and pulling myself out onto the shores of County Louth, Ireland. That’s where this oddity starts - an Irish whiskey that’s imported to the US and bottled in Princeton, Minnesota.... Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey. Of course, you don’t pick a name like Hell-Cat Maggie out of thin air. This fearsome historical female was a legendary member of the Irish-American street gang, “The Dead Rabbits”, who roamed the Five Points district in Manhattan during the 1840s. She reportedly earned her violent pseudonym by filing her teeth to points and wearing brass claws into battle with other New York street gangs, most notably the anti-immigrant Bowery Boys. She died at the ripe old age of 25. So how does the whiskey branded after her namesake fare? I suppose similarly if you consider that not much is known about it - it’s apparently a blend of unmalted whiskies and malted pot still whiskies aged for at least 3 years and first hit shelves in March 2015.* Even the folks at Distiller haven’t dared to review this dram yet. What am I getting myself into? Nose: Young grain and malt. Check this spirit’s birth certificate, I’m not convinced its turned 3 yet. Green apple caramel candies poke through bitter wood notes and sweet ethanol. If something can smell bright, this is sharply bright. Palate: Metallic green apples. Some bitter astringency and more wood than I was expecting given its youth. Subsequent tastings bring out more sweetness and bread. Thin and light-bodied. Definitely some grainy funk going on. Finish: Short and fiery. Not unlike our leading lady. Bready malt. The heat and bitter solvent notes overstay their welcome a bit. Good thing it’s only bottled at 40% ABV. Thoughts? I made it out of my tangle with Hell-Cat Maggie alive. I will need to try this on the rocks and/or experiment with some ginger beer (Irish Mule) or vermouth (Emerald) to use up the rest. I can’t really recommend this neat with the exception of experiencing it for the marketing appeal. Still fun to try though (and hats off to the producers for featuring a female on the label). 2.5 ~ 71 ~ Below Average *Distiller should probably update this to a blend as opposed to the single pot still it’s currently described as...?

COLOR/ Warm, Rich, Dark Reddish Yellow Caramel AROMA/ Caramel, Nutty, Slight Sweetness FIRST SIP/ Slight Alcohol, Carmel Nougat, Sweetness, Slight Corn TASTE/ Alcohol, Light, Nutty Sweetness, Caramel FINISH/ Smooth, Sweet, Dissipating Alcohol Burn, Sweet Burnt Candy MT GLASS/ Carmel, Sweetness, Delicious 80 proof For the money me friends this is a fierce and lovely find! Maggie's reputation for being a fierce fighter doesn't hold a candle here because Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey is delightful and an unique blend of full bodied robustness that will keep you coming back for more. Please keep in mind this is a Stupendous delicious price point for such a outstanding and remarkable lass! Please enjoy this notoriously delicious blended Irish whiskey with caution care and respect it deserves! CH33RS :-) P.S. There is a 1 - 2 combination punch here that constitutes me rating... The delicious price and the surprise of it's outstanding, delivery of taste! Be responsible out there! CH33RS

Nose: orange, lemon, starfruit, guava, butter biscuit and butterscotch. Fuji apples with a light dusting of cinnamon. Slight grass / hay must. Vanilla, lemon sorbet. Taste: very watery with caramel and a toffee after taste. heavy oak up front. maybe some light fruit notes as well. Very disappointed because the nose was so promising, but it tastes like you proofed Jameson down to 20% ABV. Maybe good for mixing I guess. Also do not ever add water it makes it taste like a soapy banana.

Note that this is a BLEND, it is not single pot still as described. Nose: leather, vanilla, a little orange peel. Palate: watery, vanilla, citrus with a hint of honey. The finish is pleasant but fades away quickly. Adding water decimates the nose and mutes the taste, while adding some spice to the finish. Overall: a good value in the category, but nothing extraordinary.

On the nose toast, ethanol, honey, toffee, grain and a touch of lemon, but ultimately quite faint. Sweet and thin on the palate, with a bunch of orange, sugar, caramel, ethanol and a little burnt toast. Short sweet finish. Not a lot going on here, but that’s pretty much as expected. Satisfactory considering I bought it for a party, but that’s about it.

Not as sweet as Jameson, but a fairly standard Irish whiskey flavor profile. Overall, a pleasant and enjoyable pour, and a great value for under $20. Edit: the term "Single Pot Still" is nowhere on the label. I found information that this is made from a blend of Irish corn and malt whiskies, and should be classified as a "Blended Whiskey".