Kilbeggan Single Grain

Rating: 6/23 So, Kilbeggan Traditional was awful and this appears to be a low-end single grain. I'm worried, but I get the impression that this is supposed to be a step up from the Traditional, so I have some hope. N: Light musty wood with cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and a hint of allspice. Perhaps a dash of vanilla, but there's not much fruity or anything else going on here. I get perhaps some light pear, peach, and apple. P: The flavor is clean and light, sort of like a spring water with some added sweetness, but there are also some hints of spice in here. I get cinnamon and ginger for sure, along with a bit of numbing clove that helps to cover up the harshness a tad. The sweetness is a bit like white peach, but isn't rich enough to be a delightful nectar. Overall, this is a passable but bland palate that doesn't have any clear flaws aside from the big one of being kind of harsh. The alcohol doesn't really show through that much though. I do get some grain with the alcohol that comes through, alongside some light hints of hay and minerals. It's a lot better than the Traditional's palate, but it's still far from being enjoyable. F: The spices linger with the grain and the alcohol comes forward a bit more. It's bitter, but nowhere nearly as much as the Traditional. There's some harshness lingering as well. It isn't a finish that I desperately feel a need to wash out of my mouth, but I do kind of want to take a sip of water to relieve the burn. This is an improvement over Kilbeggan Traditional, but it still isn't very good. This is more in the ballpark of Pure Scot. I think I prefer Pure Scot a tad though. I'm torn between a 6 and 7 on this a bit, but considering the immense harshness, I think a 6 is most justified. Perhaps I even overrated the Traditional with the 5 I gave it and it deserves more of a 4, but Pure Scot seems a fair bit better than this, tragically. I'm not sure what I should have expected from a young single grain aside from this though. Right now, I'm most inclined to say that a 5 for the Traditional and a 6 for this is fair.

It’s cheap and it has a little more balls than Jameson (being 86 proof rather than 80). Other than that it’s a hardly on par if not below par Irish, even for the price. The flavors do not linger and almost seem artificial. Perhaps could be used as a nice drink to pair with your dessert because while the flavors don’t linger- the ones that come through are heavier on the creamy honey side but lacking in spice, barrel woods, smoke, and fruit. Bought it to try something new on the cheap end, but won’t be buying again. Just drop an extra $5 and you’re enjoying a much more authentic yet cheap Irish in the Tyrconnell.

Nose of apple and pear. The second sniff is just a touch of spilled black ink and the last, fleeting drippings of a gas pump. The flavor is more tree fruits: pear, red apple skins, apricot. The potpourri, flowery spice comes dances on the palate. There is a surprising burn for 86 proof. The finish is tobacco smoke and more of that inky stuff. The more you add water droplets, the more the burn subsides and the apple skins pop out. Tannic/puckery tartness that dovetails well with the citrus and spice. A pretty solid, affordable Irish.

Nose: Pears and apples blending with caramel. Some malt. Cut grass. Subtle honey and coconut. Palate: Buttered biscuit. Honey. Toasted almond. Some spice towards the end. Finish: Hints of oak and malt. Vanilla coming through. Slightly spicier here. Overall Thoughts: A decent whiskey! Certainly not a typical flavor but definitely interesting and complex. Relatively lower price but of a higher quality than it’s price tag. I’ll happily try the other Kilbeggan whiskeys in due time, they seem to know exactly what they’re doing!

A surprising whiskey. On the nose there was vanilla for miles and a sweetness that reminded me of Bourbon. It wasn’t until my friend told me that the mash is 94% corn that it clicked. It didn’t have the caramel notes from bourbon, but this was enjoyable. The finish is medium with more sweet vanilla and nuts like nutmeg. This can be an easy daily go to.

“Pleasant” is the best description I can come up with. It’s all butter, caramel, corn sweetness, creme brûlée...it’s almost like a Canadian...but not so sickly sweet and I cant see this hurting me the next day the way a budget Canadian does. Yes...”pleasant”.