Clontarf 1014 Blended Irish Whiskey

Clontarf is a pleasant and substantial blended whiskey. To generalize its taste, it falls somewhere between Tullamore DEW and Bushmills (in their original forms), though it possesses mild distinct characteristics and a certain elegant style, likely due to its low proportion of [unspecified component]. The aroma is lively and well-developed, though it lacks a distinguished character; however, the balance is noteworthy. It presents simple grain, malt, and alcohol notes, a touch of citrus, faint hints of honey and vanilla, along with an oat or hay-like tone. The palate is somewhat less prominent, featuring vanilla, some nutty flavors, spices, unripe apricots, a strong citrus or, more precisely, citrus peel note, and a slight alcohol presence is again noticeable. The finish is mildly sweet and spiced, with lingering notes of burnt wood, honey, and bitter herbs.

I'm conducting a comparative tasting of several mid-tier Irish whiskies, all served neat. First is Clontarf. It's reportedly 15% pot still and 85% grain (corn), charcoal filtered, and aged in first-fill bourbon barrels. The distiller rates it at 80 proof, and whiskeyreviewer gives it a C+. I award it a C. It's smooth with a strong vanilla presence, but generally unmemorable. It doesn't have a distinct "Irish" character but could pass for an average Canadian or American blend without rye in its mash bill. I bought a bottle of this three years ago and couldn't recall my exact opinion, so I decided to revisit it. Again, I find it unmemorable. It's not bad, and likely suitable as a mixer, but it's simply not a remarkable sipper for me.

I picked this up for a good price when I was out of work, but I liked it and thought it had more depth than Jameson's. It's really smooth to sip, maybe excessively so? Later: After trying some again while figuring out what to get for St. Patty's, I detected a sugary taste like Bourbon... The Clontarf site says it contains "maize" along with malted barley... That's not typical for an Irish whiskey. With maize in the mash bill and maturation in former Bourbon casks, this could be a great Irish whiskey for people who prefer Bourbon.

This earns a high rating, nearly a perfect score. My dram of Clontarf was a reliable partner while writing my Christmas Eve sermon at the local Irish pub. It possesses all the hallmarks of Irish whiskey: honeyed sweetness, floral notes akin to clover, a touch of spice, some apple compote, a slight bitterness from unmalted barley, and a bready foundation that reminded me more of waffles than bread. It's not bad, but it's unlikely to become my regular Irish whiskey choice.

Tasting this blind, I found it quite comparable to Green Spot and Writers Tears. Discovering the price was half that was amazing! It has rich, smooth, delicious orchard fruit flavors. This is easily my favorite Irish whiskey, or any whiskey, in the $30-40 range. While some might criticize its composition for not being entirely pot still and including corn, its four years of aging, compared to the three in this price bracket, makes it unique and flavorful. So, forget the process!

Recently, I've found that most lower-shelf Irish whiskies taste quite similar. However, at $20, I'd choose this over the others. It's easy to drink initially, but loses its character as it sits and completely falls apart on the finish. There's a hint of spice, definite vanilla sweetness, a touch of lemon, and possibly banana. I don't know... maybe I'm going crazy.