J.J. Corry The Gael Irish Whiskey

Nose: Loads of bright red fruits and toasty malt notes! There's some candied orange peel, berry syrup, oak spice, and dry shortbread cookies with a bit of icing sugar. Floating above all the fruit is a bit of spice that's a bit hard to separate from the ethanol burn, but helps to balance the sweetness. Palate: Thick, sweet, and syrupy on the tongue. It's an explosion of tropical fruits like I've never tasted in a whiskey! Orange and lime citrus, something like sweet, sweet mango, and some light honey to bind it all together. There's a base of deeply toasted malt that is much fuller than many malt-forward whiskies. Finish: Short to medium length and slightly dry in the back. It's a tropical fruit bomb the whole way, like a stick of Juicy Fruit gum. Conclusion: I've never found so much tropical fruit in a whiskey before! The closest I can remember is probably Teeling's Small Batch. There's a gorgeous balance of sweet fruit sugars, sour tropical acidity, spice, and rounded malt - all of whoch are pretty powerful in there, so the balance is necessary. It's a bit pricey, but I love the liquid and the brand, so I'd buy a bottle if I somehow found one on the shelf in the US. I keep coming back to taste it, it's refreshing and draws me back again and again - I think I like it more every time! Again, it just gets better and better, now I definitely want to find a full bottle of this...

Nose: Heavy wafts of tropical fruits. Coconut, citrus/lemon, caramel, and green apple dominate. Once the initial tropical notes subside, some notes of butterscotch and hints of malt can be found in the background. Taste: Sweet and sour with some bitterness. Notes of citrus and baked cherry pie combine with malt and oak notes nicely. The more subtle notes of coconut and apple can be found if searched for. Balanced and pleasant. Texture was very enjoyable for me: a bit oily and not thin. This one was very surprising. I felt that this was nearly a rum with all of the tropical notes but it was neatly rounded out with malt and oak notes, bringing me back into the whisky realm. This is a good pour for people looking for something different.

(Good Spirits Company, Glasgow. Virtual Whisky Tasting Saturday 25th July 2020). Nose: Tangerine, citrus fruits, cream Palate: Oaky, slightly numbing, herbal, sweet rye Finish: Long finish, apricot, vanilla, slightly bitter at the very end This has a lovely oily, buttery mouthfeel, very fruity all the way through to the finish. A lovely dram. Easy to drink and very different from most Scottish blends. There is around 40% grain in this blend, but it still has plenty of the malt notes to keep it interesting. Out of the 6 drams on the tasting, this achieved 17% of the vote for favourite which made it joint second, but the common consensus was that all 6 were really too close to call.

Nose: Bright and sweet. Citrus fruits blending with honey. Some apple as well. Delightful. Palate: A tad oily. Orange and apples come through immediately. Vanilla lingers with a hint of ginger. Finish: Medium. Smooth and virtually no roughness. Apples lingering the longest of anything. Overall Thoughts: This is a delightful whiskey. It isn’t rough around the edges or too demanding on the palate. Very little alcohol burn. Delicious blend of flavors. I picked this one up a year ago and I’ve never regretted it. A fine choice to sit and relax with. Thank goodness for the Banner County!

Top bang for buck stuff. Nose: Raisins, Honey, Bananas, Vanilla, Canteloupes, Coconut, Melba Peaches and Cream Palate: Honey, Raisins, Grapefruit, Toffee, Vanilla, Banana Cream Pie, Coconuts, Almonds, Caramel, Dates, Prunes Finish: Vanilla, Raspberries and Cream, Raisins, Honey, Caramel, Coconuts

Nose: light and sweet with hints of vanilla and fruits and citrus zest. Palate: Buttered white bread. Lemon pith with some hints of nutmeg. Finish: trail mix, think dried fruit and nuts mixed together with those milk chocolate pieces too.