Greenore 8YO Irish Whiskey. So Interesting, So Full Flavoured & So Full Of Character.
- Oct 11, 2015
- 3 min read
We’re getting our Irish on this week with an eight-year-old whiskey that is so worthy of a place on your vibrantly adored booze shelves and is another discovery from our beloved www.flaviar.com tasting packs. So, pull up a pew, prep your glass and indulge your fine selves in Greenore 8YO Irish Whiskey. And if you’re not a fan of overly peated, smoky whiskies that can sometimes taste like something between a fermented pack of Silk Cut and a left over Fosters can littered with cig ends, then this boy is right up your street. So, let’s get cracking!
And as always, knowledge first! Hailing from the Cooley Whiskey Distillery, part of the Kilbeggan Distillery Company, over in Dundalk (where we spent a few family holidays!), this whiskey is made from 100% single grain, distilled in column stills and aged for eight years in ex-bourbon casks; making for one sweet, interesting and delectably alluring dram. And don’t just take our word for it, these guys have racked up a few awards too including: International Wine and Spirits Competition Gold Best In Class 2008, 2009 and 2010, Great Taste Awards Double Gold in 2009 and San Francisco Worlds Spirit Competition Double Gold in 2008. So we ain’t telling fibs here! Anyway, let’s get it down us.
And once you get your nose stuck in you’ll instantly smell how fresh this whiskey is. Dense lemon and honey bowl their way out of the glass, immediately hitting you in the face with a great blast of crisp sweetness that you can’t help thinking that if you felt a little under the weather, this stuff would sort you right out! Following on behind are bouts of cereal, vanilla and just an inkling of caramel, amalgamating so well the pummels of toasted oak that are now making there presence known. There’s also a murmur of fruit knocking about and your nose gets an ever so slight tickle, which we like. This dram has a hell of a lot going on and we bloody love it!
But once you get this down your gullet you’ll find it’s the honey that is the real King of this whiskey shakedown; it’s utterly incredible. It’s like your mouth is having one sweet arse hive party with the Queen bloody Bee herself; the honey is awesome! But just like on your beak, there is a lot going on in your trap. We all know the Irish love a knees up and this whiskey is no bloody exception! Dancing on in with that delectable honey are shimmies of vanilla and caramel, all beautifully sharpened up by hits of toasted oak and a good whisper of spice that tingles that tongue of yours, making sure the sweetness isn’t too heavy handed. It’s fresh, light and decadently moreish.
And the finish adds so much more. For one is insanely smooth (like, oh man is it smooth!), and it glides down your throat effortlessly, warming your chest with such affection that it feels like this whiskey is making advances on you! But it also develops so stunningly in flavour. That honey sweetness subtly changes into a deeper, more syrupy sweetness with a wee hint of nuttiness that lingers around in your mouth for a good while after. It really is a great, long finish and we just can’t quite get enough.
But for us it’s that evolving honeyed sweetness that bowls us over quicker than a hit and bloody run! Yes, admittedly, we do have a ridiculously sweet tooth and an unwavering penchant for Bourbon, so logically this is maybe why we’re so head over heels in love with this whiskey. But even if you are an avid lover of intense smoky whiskey, this one should definitely not be over looked. It’s so interesting, so full flavoured and so full of character; how could you not love it? It really is top stuff.
Pick up a bottle here.
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