The Dubliner Bourbon Cask Aged

Time to begin reviewing all the bottles I received for Christmas this past year, starting with the "lowest rated" one, and moving my way up. This bottle came to me courtesy of a coworker who knows I like whisky but is on a budget. Regardless of how the tasting goes, this was a thoughtful and considerate purchase on their part, and I'm grateful to have it on my shelf. As an added bonus, it's a great pour! Marketed as an Irish blend with not a ton of information available about it, this punches well above it's weight, kind of like the Irish version of Wild Turkey 101. The nose is shy, but inoffensive. None of the shiny, spiky metallic grain notes you find in Jameson or other budget blends. I'm guessing there's a high proportion of malt in this one. The taste really shines. Like warm honey on a hot, buttered roll at Thanksgiving with that biscuity, malty aftertaste you get in a lot of Irish whiskies. I'm digging this! And at $23 a bottle, I may keep this one around as a fine daily drinker. Unfortunately I feel like this pour has suffered from the infamous "Low Distiller Rating", and doesn't get a lot of traffic. This isn't a world-changing whiskey, but hardly worth the middling mid-70's rating it received here. I'd rate it at a solid 85-86 at least. Cheers!

I opened this bottle a little while ago with my dad and some family friends. I bought my bottle in the low $20s. Of the group, most of us were Bourbon drinkers and one was a Scotch drinker. This Dubliner Irish Whiskey was one whiskey we all mostly liked. I like Bourbons for their full flavors and sweetness and I like Rye for its spiciness I really like this for its sharpness and bolder flavor. I have had several Irish whiskeys and this has the best flavor of the "starter whiskeys" from Ireland namely Bushmills, Jameson, and Tullamore Dew. I don't put Powers in that group as it is a bit more expensive. I normally prefer Dew to any of the others and I have several versions of it in my bar but the flavor of Dubliner was very good to me. In the beginning, it is sharp and fruity especially with ice and the taste lingers in my mouth much as Bourbons do. The taste lingers in my mouth easily between drinks and is pleasant and softening. I really do like this whiskey for sitting around and talking and it pairs well with fruits and cheeses. This is a good choice that is a step above the introductory Irish whiskey group but will not break the bank.

Nose: Thin, grainy, spirity, a trace of fruit and a remembrance of honey. It's clean but too distant and light to say anything interesting. Palate: Sweet but hot and simple arrival. The development shows a wider spectrum of hot spice but it is primarily a very grainy palate. The texture is thin and watery. Rather than a blend of malt and grain whisky, this is more like a blend of grain whisky and vodka. Finish: Short. Hot and grainy with no length at all and no aftertaste except the bland sweetness of ethanol. This is not good value and certainly not a sipping whisky. As a mixer it fares better and with dilution (particularly with soft drink) you do get some hints of unmalted barley spirit. The official Distiller notes and score sum it up pretty well. I'd advise avoiding this one (Jameson classic is cheaper and wipes the floor with this). "Inferior" : 69/100 (1.75 stars)

I haven't heard about this one before, nor have i heard about blended Irish Whiskey. The Dubliner blended Irish Whiskey is 40%abv with a light gold color. On the nose is a typical blend, with a gentle peatyness coming through and some bourbon notes due to the bourbon cask it was stored. Main aroma notes are: peat, honey, nuts, blackberry and grape juice. Nice. On the palate it was a lot diferent. This felt as a young whiskey. First you feel a Spice Bomb detonate in your mouth in a good way, then some cereal flavor, cilantro (this is the first time i found that in a dram), with a hot, peaty medium aftertaste. Overall is a good solid dram, 81 over 100 is my score for it; at least it was interesting. Cheers!

I really like this for its sharpness and bolder flavor. I have had several Irish whiskeys and this has the best flavor of the "starter whiskeys" from Ireland. The flavors are a bit sharp and not like other Irish whiskeys that I have tried. The taste lasts longer than most Irish whiskeys and the flavors soften as it passes over my palate. The Dubliner goes very well with fruits and cheese and is very nice on the rocks. Overall, this is a very good intro Irish whiskey and it has a nice flavor. Enjoy.

A gentle sniff on the nose, you get this sugary bourbon notes on top but also at the same time, you get this cloudy, spicy, lignins and tannins from the oak at the bottom ready to make a move to the top any seconds. After you take a sip or two then spicy and lignins from the oak took over what you get initially of bourbon sugary notes. What you left with in the end is a short to medium finish of dry, spicy and a bit bitterness like black tea almost.