Knappogue Castle 12 Year Bourbon Cask Matured

Review #040 Type: single malt Irish whisky Proof: 40% Comments: aged 12 years, ex-bourbon maturation Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Deep gold color. Swirling reveals a thick line sticking to the side of the glass, legs form quickly. Nose: 14/20 Mostly I get overly ripened pears and vanilla and a hint of grain cereal in the background. It’s not very complex, but enjoyable all the same. Palate: 30/40 Honey, baking spices, vanilla, wheat bread, and a little bit of butterscotch. Overall very smooth with little to no burn. Finish: 26/40 Medium-short finish, mostly more of the same but now accompanied by a mild alcohol burn. Honey, vanilla, shortbread, and crisp pears, which gives way to baking coca and finishes there on a bitter note. With Water: A drop of water makes the palate a bit saltier and introduces some black pepper to the finish. Total: 70/100 Final thoughts: An easy drinker but not much going on outside of that. Probably good for folks who are first being introduced to Irish whisky but not something I’ll replace once the bottle is gone. Price: $39 Would recommend: maybe Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

Knappogue Castle is one of my favorite lines in all of whiskey. So when I noticed that I had a one-sentence from 5 years ago for their flagship offering, I realized that simply couldn’t stand. So here’s another look at what I consider underrated Irish classic. Nose: Classic Knappogue Castle. There’s some honey crisp and some green apple. Green Jolly Rancher even. Caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, and toffee. Macadamia, coconut, walnut, and cashew. Plenty of oak, black pepper, and some more spice. Nice start. Palate: More of both type of apple, and the Green Jolly Rancher. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Raisin. Milk chocolate. Grapes: green and red. Chinese pear and apricot. Macadamia, walnut, almond. Bran and cereal grain. Sugar cookie. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Sugar cookie, vanilla, toffee, and milk chocolate. More apple. Fig and raisin. Almond, walnut, macadamia, Cinnamon, black spice, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length finish. Still excellent. Well-balanced, strong palate. It’s a traditional Irish profile, but with the nut and oak notes dialed up a bit more. At $43, this is an absolute steal. Probably the best bang for buck of any flagship Irish whiskey. It’s got enough grit for a single malt Scotch drinker as well. 4.25/5.

These notes are from a blind tasting (Flaviar Advent calendar) The smell is very light. Oak, vanilla, cereal/grain/corn husk, and a little red fruit spice The taste is soft but the red fruits and baking spice hit first, then vanilla and some honey. It’s spicier than expected from the smell. This isn’t a complex experience but it is enjoyable. One dimensional but pleasant flavors and easy drinking. The finish is short to medium. It’s pretty much the same experience as the taste, it all fades about equally.  Maybe the spice hangs around longer.    This is good. It’s right there in the middle. Not great but certainly not bad. It’s a light, easy drinking Irish whiskey. I really get 3 flavors, vanilla, honey, and baking spices. It doesn’t deliver a lot but what it does deliver is enjoyable. Depending on the price this is worth a look. Overall Grade: C+ (Above Average)

Knappogue Castle 12 year was my first Irish whiskey purchase. I had shots of Jameson at bars but this was my first bottle. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I first tried it and I think it still holds up well today. The nose is fruity with green apple and banana. On the palate I get peaches, cereal notes and oak. It is a little sweet, but not overly so. The finish has good length with little burn and has a touch of spice. At $40 or so this is a good value Irish whiskey. It may not be as good as Redbreast, but few Irish whiskies are. It also works great in cocktails. At this price point, I dont think you can go wrong with this one.

I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of complexity here, but I’m ok with that. Crisp and smooth, I get the same thing every time I pull the cork on this delightful whiskey: fresh pears on the nose (along with a light grassy aroma), chewy dried pears with a breezy mouth feel, and a burst of juice from the fresh pears on the finish. It’s not overly sweet. Once I got a little Spaghetti-Os on the palate, and that was great too. I felt like a 5 year old having a snack. 5 was a good year for me. I had my first kiss with my after school babysitter’s daughter. Anyway, there’s nothing that isn’t consistently pleasant about drinking this whiskey.

Nose: Lemon and Menthol with a touch of grainy sweetness. A hint of spicy oak sits in the background. Taste: Overwhelming notes of banana cream pie and overripe peaches come forward. These notes fade into a sweet maltiness with figs and a deep earthiness. The whiskey finishes with a hit of ethanol, bitter oak, and white pepper. This finish is a bit metallic, very dry, and has a lingering herbal spice. A spoonful of water opens up the malty notes while subduing the fruit notes. Fantastic for the price. It reminds me a lot of some highland single malt scotches, but it is distinctly Irish in mouthfeel and finish.