Knappogue Castle 12 Year Special Barrel Release

Contrary to most, this is where I started with Knappogue Castle. I used to pick these up from my local Gary's, which no longer exists. In fact, this was one of the first higher-end bottlings that I regularly purchased. I may be a little biased in my review for this reason. Let's get into it. Nose: Vanilla and heaps of fruit. Classic green apple, banana, and apricot. A bit of pear. Toffee, honey, sugar cookie/shortbread cookie. Floral, green, grassy. Plum. Oak and a touch of baking spice. Very nice nose. Palate: Vanilla and caramel. Pear, green apple, apricot in that order. more sugar/shortbread cookie, honey, toffee, and butterscotch. Faint plum and peach notes. Banana, whipped cream, and macadamia nut on the mid-palate. Floral, green, and oak notes. Reflects a lot of what I liked about the nose. Solid. Finish: Medium-to-long. Vanilla and caramel. Banana, apple, pear, apricot. A little bitter. Baking spice and oak take this one home. Great finish. Maybe it's bias. Maybe nostalgia. It's definitely influenced by the fantastic VFM (to be exact, that earned this one an extra half star.) $45 for a 12-year old single malt--from anywhere--at least here in NJ. I can sit here and name a long line of 12-year old Scotches that cost more and don't hold a candle to this. The bump up to %46 ABV does wonders for this over the standard 12-year Knappogue Castle. After some deliberation, I settled on 4.5 stars for this one. It's offers a flavor profile I enjoy from the first inhale to the last tingle on the finish. It's very likely that I enjoy this so much because it's one of the whiskies that shaped my preferences from the beginning. Either way, this Shop Rite version does the Gary's picks I used to buy justice. Great stuff.

Bubbles single barrel store pick (Kansas City), probably 2017 or 2018 bottling. Pale straw yellow. Thin in the glass, but leaves surprisingly long legs. Vegetal nose. Cut grass, bell pepper, and eucalyptus layered over a deep but muted foundation of lemon zest. A longer nosing reveals the that zest belongs to a very sweet scone... vanilla-orange glaze. Strong grain notes. More vanilla. Quite lovely and intriguing overall. Floral and sweet at first, then settles into rose water with a lingering sweetness and gentle heat on the sides of the tongue. Oak and vanilla from the bourbon casks come through clearly on the second taste and blend into the other notes subsequently. Honeydew melon. Yellow apple. Very light but carries a full, complex flavor. Often seems to finish with an orange muscat dessert wine note. 92 proof shows with occasional lingering spice and drying sensation, becoming saliva to the mouth. Really quite an impressive pour that is growing on me as I work through the glass. Strongly floral, rich and diverse fruit, clear bourbon notes (first fill cask for all 12 yrs since SiB?) that complement rather than conflict. I will enjoy this bottle... rating reflects the very affordable price point vs. value.

Surprise find on a trip to Montgomery County. This limited release is aged 12 years, non-chill filtered and bottled at 46%. On the nose is the biscuity, malty, baking spice goodness that you would expect, along with an extra punch of ethanol. Arrival is sharp, bright, grain forward and those baking spices are revealed later in the mid-palate. Finish falls away quickly but some mild very pleasant tannins linger. Excellent Irish whiskey at an extremely affordable price.

Picked this up as a store pick. Not disappointed. Straw colored appearance. Hints of apple, spice, and honey on the nose. The flavor is large. Mouthful of honey, pastry, spice, almonds, and green apple. Initially dry but has a slightly sweet finish. A little burn at the end from either the spice or 46% alcohol.

You get an almost syrupy odor when you uncork this bottle. The initial taste is harsh before settling on flavors of caramel and vanilla. Too pricey for me given the taste.

Honey, vanilla, buttery biscuit, sweet, mellow and smooth with a bit more flavor than most. Easy sipper. Prefer it neat. An easy rebuy.