Time to taste some Liberties Distillery Irish Whiskey
A visit to the Dublin Liberties Distillery is highly recommended, as you could have read on this blog last week. We got nice reactions on this article, showing that a good, old distillery visit report is still a popular thing. We will try to slip one in every now and then, when work and private life allows it to travel overseas or inland to visit the distilleries of the world! We did promise some tasting notes about whiskey you could buy at the Liberties Distillery. We took some mini bottles home. Here are our impressions of some entry level expressions.
Dubliner Irish Whiskey, bourbon cask, bottled at 40 % abv
Makeup: A blend of 5 year old single malt and grain Irish Whiskey matured in bourbon casks.
General impressions: Smells like summer in a bowl. Lots of vanilla, obviously, and some fruity bubble gum that I normally get from older grain whisky. In a way, this is a big compliment. All in all, it's a very pleasant and fresh whiskey to sniff for a while. Considering the product, I think it is fair to compare this friendly blend to the world famous Jameson, but this is far more interesting. The taste is very, very mundane, and that is a bit of a letdown. Try hard, and you will find some bananas, but it also is a tad too alcoholic/harsh. The finish returns the vanilla to the forefront and is quite pleasant. Water brings out some wood notes and actually gives some more depth. Well done.
Conclusion: In the end, you are drinking Cooley or Bushmills diluted with grain whiskey, and it is probably not meant to drink neat, no matter what Hozier sings in "Too Sweet". Price-quality is of course very much a plus. Looking forward to own products by Liberties.
Score: 75 points
The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey, bottled at 44 % abv
Makeup: NAS whiskey with a funny name. We love those. This is 5 year old whiskey matured in 'used bourbon and virgin American oak barrels’.
General impressions: Fruity smells with some candy cane. Sugars. I almost fear taking a sip; will my dentist appreciate the fallout? Since we are in the dentists room, some fluoride is undeniably there. Minty influences. A very interesting nose! The mouthfeel certainly has some body compared to the Dubliner, but very soon soapy notes starts dominating the taste buds. I admit the virgin oak makes this Dead Rabbit seem more mature, but it brings flavours to the table that do not agree with my preference. I think traditional Irish Whiskey is too light to be a good companion to virgin oak maturation.
Conclusion: Daring and bold, but not nearly as fresh as the Dubliner. Try before you buy, you might like this. I am not over the moon.
Score: 72 points.
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