Tyrconnell Single Malt

Rating: 9/23 Whoa! Only 2 distillations? This has some extra promise that I didn't expect. N: Hmm, this has a nice, (comparatively for low-end Irish whiskey) rich nose that has a good layer of malt atop some oiliness and spices. and a bit of vanilla giving way to slightly young wood and faint hay. It definitely has that Glen Grant 26 bourbon barrel aged vibe to it, though it's less intense and sophisticated. It doesn't smell amazing, but I've tried a lot of awful Irish whiskey lately, so it's a huge relief to pour something and think "hmm, I'm looking forward to tasting this". P: Sweet and spicy immediately with a nectar presence coming in suggesting some nice sweet honey that's been watered down quite a bit and mixed with some vanilla. There's some mellow wood mixed with hay in the background and a faint layer of rich maltiness pervading the whole thing and a young wood tartness sitting underneath that at times add hints of tropical notes (banana and a tiny amount of mango). I occasionally get a little bit of an older, mustier wood flavor as well, but there isn't much of it and it's not super exciting. The spice and not-entirely-thin mouthfeel really give this a bigger presence than it would otherwise have, but the spice does come across like a partially successful attempt to cover up some substantial harshness. Still, were it not for the harshness, this would be a thoroughly sippable - albeit somewhat boring - dram. None of the flavors here are bad and most of them are generally slightly good and distinct from each other. F: The malt lingers nicely on the finish with that kind of nectar flavor and wood spiciness. It remains hot and harsh, but less so than the palate. It's a solid finish. So aside from the harshness, I'm actually quite impressed by this (at least relative to my expectations). I'd definitely stock this as a cheap (I think this is cheap?) Irish whiskey for sipping. Both in terms of flavor and harshness, this outperforms Pure Scot by a substantial margin. The malt here is less muddled and fresher and there is genuine spice and a bit less harshness. I'm appalled that I'm tasting whiskey that puts me in a position of citing Pure Scot as a high bar, but here I am. This is more in line with the quality of Sir Edward's 12, putting it at a 9 or possibly 10. Although their profiles are fairly different, I think that they are quite similar in quality. I kind of like Tyrconnell's profile better because it is more traditional and clean, but Sir Edward's is less harsh. Considering the harshness here, I think I'm going to have to land on a 9. This might have a slightly better profile (might) because Sir Edward's has some alcohol on the finish, but Sir Edward's is far less harsh. The harshness here seems like it is trying to be like that of Aberlour 12, but Aberlour is really more spicy. It's like Aberlour is a bit spicier, but has less of that paint stripper effect and less oily funk to it. Honestly, they seem fairly similar in quality to me, in the 9 to 12 range, but I think that the Aberlour 12 is better. Aberlour 12, Sir Edward's 12, and Highland Queen Sauternes are all a bit better than this due to its harshness. What really works here are the clean flavors, but side by side with Glen Grant 26, there is no contest. In spite of being 60% alcohol, the Glen Grant is much smoother while also being richer and more balanced. I mean, I didn't expect this to be as good as the Glen Grant, but the gap is more staggering than I'd expected. So I'm back here to a 9 or 10. Considering how clear the harshness is in comparison with Glen Grant though, I think I have to land on a 9. I was thinking that this was about on par with Tomintoul 10, but the thing is that the harshness here is a real problem, so I have to say that the Tomintoul is a tad better. Oof, $40 for this? I was afraid that might be the case, but it's still upsetting. This is far from competing with Redbreast 12 - though not as far as I expected it to be. Man, I don't know, this could be an 11 or 12 even. 13 would be seriously pushing it, but I can imagine 9 to 12. 8 just seems too low. I won't be buying a bottle at $40, but this is a more solid whiskey than I expected and I might get it for $25-30.

I’ve written a few reviews recently of Scotches and Bourbons that were among the first to bring me up and off of the bottom shelf up to the next rung. Foundational whiskies in my journey, one might say. I started stepping up my Irish whiskey game around the same time, and this was one of those first whiskies that helped me elevate my Irish whiskey game. It’s been way too long since I’ve had a bottle of this, and it’s shocking that I don’t have an entry for this one on here. Time to fix that. Nose: Honey, vanilla, malt, cereal grain, toffee, and caramel. Macintosh apple, green grape, and apricot. Floral notes. Golden raisin. Orange peel. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Vanilla, caramel, toffee, and honey. Macintosh apple, green grape, pear, and apricot. Milk chocolate and butterscotch. Floral notes. Sugar cookie. Golden raisin. Orange citrus. Almond, walnut, and cashew. White pepper and oak. Finish: Toasted almond and walnut. Green grape and golden raisin. Caramel, milk chocolate, toffee, and vanilla. Cocoa. Clove, nutmeg, white pepper, and oak. Moderate-to-short finish, leading toward the former. This is the Arran 10 year of Irish whiskey. Easy-going. Defined by its floral and orchard fruit notes. Crisp, delightful flavor. It’s not the most impactful whiskey out there, but it certainly deserves a purchase. Speaking of which, this ran me a mere $35. Easily worth the price of entry, especially in this a market that has seen such incredible inflation. It’s hasn’t gone up a single dollar since I first bought it 8-9 years ago. And if that’s not good enougjh, they bumped this 3% ABV since then. If you’re even remotely curious about this one based on my description, pull the trigger. The risk-reward factor makes this a no-brainer. 3.5, boosted to 4 even for VFM.

Nose: Spirity to begin with, fresh and clean but also thin and weak. Rather like the nose of a close-to-bottom-shelf blended scotch. Malt, green apple, lemon zest with grassy spice notes in the background. The dry-glass aroma is all honey, surprisingly, but after several tastes I can't detect honey on the nose itself. Palate: Fruity and spicy on the arrival with cereal flavours reminiscent of white bread toast. Porridge and malt come to dominate as it develops but there is an overarching gingery spicy note throughout the palate and an accompanying touch of aniseed. The texture is on the thin side. Finish: Short. Malt flavours that are initially sweet and spicy but turn dry and almost bitter in the aftertaste. An uninspiring Irish single malt that compares poorly against considerably cheaper scotch blends. There is just not enough going on here to make this worthy of compliment - not actively bad, but you can do way better. It's not really satisfying as a sipping whisky and as a mixer it tends to disappear. It works best straight with a couple of rocks and a dash of soda water. My biggest complaint is that this is poor value for money. In Australia a bottle costs a couple of dollars less than Ardbeg 10. My cheap blended scotch of choice recently has been Ballantine's 12 year old, which is almost half the price but knocks this milquetoast contender onto the canvas with one punch. It's acceptable, with no real off-notes, but hardly recommended. The official rating here is very generous. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

I'm tasting this from a sample, but Total Wine in Albuquerque sells it at $39.99 a bottle. This is only my second Irish whisky, and it's considerably better than the other (the Sexton). The nose was delightfully complex, but the taste and the finish were considerably less so. This is a good whisky, though, and at a lower price I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. The mash bill is 100% malted barley. There's no age statement, but from the light color I'd guess that it didn't spend a huge amount of time in the used barrels. The color is that of 14 karat gold (I compared it to my wedding ring when that occurred to me, and they matched). The legs are thin and short, and run at random places and times around the glass. This is an 86 proof whisky (though the Irish put an E into the word). NOSE: I had a surprise with salt water coming off first. Next there were notes of honey, meadow grass, butterscotch, and something sweet that I couldn't identify. That unknown note was very like something I can't identify in Balcones Pot Still Bourbon's nose - which is weird, because the mash bills are very different. When I put my nose fully into the glass I got an additional note of honey lemon. TASTE: It begins sour, though not unpleasantly so. There was a definite, though not extreme, alcohol burn, with a tinge of honey. Last there came something faintly woody - oak, perhaps, though it was so slight I couldn't be sure. FINISH: Short, with oak transforming to spicy oak, and ending with spice.

A very pale honey color; appears oily on the inside of the glass when you take it for a walk. Nose is sulphurics at first: vegetal, like broccoli water. Then it eases into something akin to freshly-made applesauce with the skins still in it. Buttery cream and vanilla. Just a hint of lemon drop at the end. The taste is a combination of that buttery cream and vanilla frosting, followed up quickly by bitter,  citric lemon. The lemon adds a double-whammy work the barrel tannins, which add a not-insignificant pucker. A surprising amount of heat goes the distance at only 86-proof. A lot of clove when you give it a chew. When you add an ice cube, the vanilla blooms and blunts all the harsher stuff. The citric bite remains, but the tannins soften. Recommended. The finish is metallic, like sticking your tongue to a metal flag pole. ('Tis the season.) A good amount of dark chocolate and coffee grounds follow. There is a mild barrel char that resonates as a kind of plum/date character. Sawdust at the very tail end. I'd have to say the Tyrconnell is slightly overpriced at $40, but it's very solid and quite pleasant.

Nose: Hay, fresh cut grass, cereal notes. It has the nose of what I consider the trademark flavor of Irish whiskey. A hint of vanilla and honey at the end gives it a very subtle sweetness. A hint of citrus comes through under further exploration. Palate: Rich and full, oily sweetness. It's almost as if the sweetness at the end of the nose carries directly into the start of the palate. Again, the slight bitter cereal notes I associate with this style of whiskey transition into the finish of this. Finish: Medium to long with residual bitter char flavours hanging saying in the sides of the tongue. Soft palate richness and warmth hangs around equally long, resulting in a nice even balance. Overall, a nice Irish whiskey that you don't hear too much about. The typical Irish maltiness or graniness is definitely pronounced in this one, so if you like that hidden more this may not be for you! I would like to spend more time comparing this side by side to a few other Irish whiskies to really get a solid comparison.