Another year, another whiskey Advent calendar! I can think of no better way to wait in stillness for the birth of Christ, personally...I can only imagine how much better St. Matthew's parable of the wise and foolish virgins would have been if it had concerned whiskey rather than lamp oil. Of course, the wise virgins may have been more willing to share whiskey than lamp oil to start the party, and depending on how much whiskey was consumed they may not have ended the night virgins...but I digress. Kinahan's 10 Year single malt is the lead-off sample in this year's Irish Whiskey Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Dram, and it's a solid starting point. Scott E called it - this is liquid banana nut bread on the nose, with a little vanilla frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The palate is cereal (I can roll with Grape Nuts) with sliced banana, vanilla creme, some light spices, a hint of mint, and that tiny, drying note of pipe tobacco right at the very end. An easygoing, enjoyable dram!
About this bottle
Kinahan's was established in 1779 in Dublin on Trinity St. by Daniel Kinahan. Though successful for many years, the brand had to merge with another spirit house in the 1920's before splitting with them in 1988. The brand lay dormant until their resurrection in 2014 on the very street they were first established. This sourced single malt is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for a minimum of 10 years.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 17 parsed reviews.
Pleasantly surprised by this one. An inviting nose of fresh and warm banana nut bread with brown sugar. The enticing nose leads to a sip and fills the mouth with brown sugar, fruits (apples/pears) and cereal. Finishes, again, sweet and traces of fresh mint. This was my favorite of the evening. Look forward to adding to the collection. [$60][87/100][Tasted: Whiskey on the Hudson 2015]
Grape-Nut cereal: I think Stephanie Moreno nailed the description here. It's precisely that. There is also a pleasant note of malt, like shortbread cookies, with a whiff of earth. I must admit this whiskey is quite complex. I'm just not sure it all works together - the aromatic profile can be disjointed at times, though the finish is good and long. It's different.
Definite baked apple aroma, hints of vanilla, touch of smoke. Heat up front but not in a bad way, not as sweet as I expected from the smell, but still some vanilla. Finishes very warm and slightly tannic and notes of those apples from the beginning. Nice but a bit pricey. Worth trying
Definitely grape nuts on the nose. Taste wise I get sweet and sour notes with a hint of smoke. I also get the green apples I always get with Irish whiskey. I lose some of the nuances after the first couple sips.
Irish whiskey aged in American oak barrels. Old gold colour. Surprisingly smooth and quaffable, with noticeable and even dominant note of mashed sea buckthorn berries. Decent stuff.
11 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
