Writers' Tears Red Head

Fresh off my Spot whiskey binge tasting and subsequent binge purchasing of their selections, I've started to get curious now about other Irish Whiskies. In the past I hadn't given them a fair shake... but after tasting the entire line up of Spot Whiskies I've decided to seek out other excellent Irish Whiskies. A good friend of mine visited Ireland not long ago and raved bout this bottle: Writers' Tears Red Head. He lamented that they were near impossible to find local to him and I was just lucky enough to pick up two bottles somewhat local to me. One for him, one for me. Typically I steer well clear of heavy sherry / port / or just wine cask offerings in general. I don't think whiskey should taste like you're shoving an angry fistful of red fruit in your mouth. However, my buddy swears up and down by this stuff and let's be fair - $65/bottle isn't exactly going to break the bank. The nose is fruity for sure but surprisingly doesn't invade your nose holes with red fruit. Smells a little like flambéed orange peel, some nutty sweet pralines and a little bit of fresh cut grass. Interesting. The taste is pretty heavy on the sherry influence for sure, but not overly so. This whiskey has a rather oily mouthfeel which I didn't expect. A pleasant surprise. There's a bit of fruitcake about the front of the taste but doesn't bring much of the mustiness typically associated with those dried fruit/candy things. The palate turns drier midway through the taste and brings on leather jacket and a little bit of orange pith. The medium length finish doesn't switch up the flavor profile heavily from the palate, so its difficult to know when it starts. Leather jacket carries through, underlying some cinnamon red hots candy. It's good. But it isn't amazing. This is certainly better than most Irish Whiskies I have tried and I'd put it right up there with most of what Redbreast offers. But I still firmly believe that Spot whiskies are just a cut above.

The nose on this reminds me of Redbreast 12... not jumping out of the glass shouting look at me but rather subtle and rich. Dried fruits and sherry floating in cream is what it initially presents. If you keep with it you’ll get just the slightest metallic ethanol layer. Palate is rich and grain forward, but dances back and forth between nuttiness and malted barley. Great legs on the glass which is backed up by the great mouthfeel. Finish lingers, adding some warmth and spice to the malt.. almost reminiscent of a rye.. and adds a nice longevity to the sip. Great expression of a sherry seasoned Irish at an affordable price. On a side note as I sit here on my deck tasting this, several fruit flies have come and dove straight into the elixir.. so it appeals to more then just me.

A young whisky, this presents with a sharpness balanced by a light sweetness. Notes of cherry, plum, and currant. Grain forward on nose and palate. Would recommend this whisky for someone looking for a different Irish style whisky and not looking to break the bank. Interested to see where this new distillery goes in the future.

Rötliche Farbe wie der Name es voraussagt. Im Geruch sehr mild und leicht fruchtig. Im Geschmack sehr rund ohne viele Fassetten, aber lecker. Angenehmer süffiger Whiskeys ohne Ecken

Smells amazing. Sherry sweetness works super well with the fire and bite. Almost tastes like bourbon, probably why I prefer it over copper pot. Good richness.

Punchier and not as smooth as the Writers Tears Cask Strength but has a richness and complexity while keeping the signiture Writers Tears one of a kind taste.