Dingle Single Malt Batch No. 4

Nose - grilled peach, apricot, fig, toffee, vanilla, orange, sultana, milk chocolate, hazelnut, mint, strawberry, sweet floral notes, straw, cinnamon, nutmeg, with a moderate ethanol burn. Taste - apricot, fig, peach, mint, cherry, butterscotch, sultana, sweet floral notes, cinnamon, ginger, orange, lemon oil, chocolate, ash, chili pepper, spicy oak, pineapple, mango, with a moderate alcohol bite. The finish is medium length with sweet stone fruit, baking spice, strong citrus, and spicy chili pepper flavors. I've been wanting to try this distillery for a long time. It's a very small operation, producing only about four casks daily. Some previous bottlings were highly sought after and became nearly impossible to find. This fourth batch is the first I've seen locally. Unfortunately, it hasn't received the same acclaim as some earlier releases. The nose is very fruity and juicy. Stone fruit, strawberry, sultana, and fig are dominant, likely due to the sherry and port cask aging. The palate is rather tart and spicy. The fruit flavors are still prominent, but more citrus, pepper, and an interesting ashy note are present. This reminds me strongly of American Single Malts. Specifically, it drinks like a spicier, tarter version of another spirit. And I prefer that other spirit slightly more. The prominent citrus and underlying ash create an almost metallic sensation that detracts from an otherwise positive experience. I opened the bottle a few days ago, so perhaps some of these characteristics will mellow over the next couple of months. I'll revisit it later, but for now, it's good but not outstanding. And at $90 a bottle, that's quite disappointing.

This distillery is located in the beautiful town it's named after in southwest Ireland, on the Dingle Peninsula with its stunning coastline. The area's natural beauty makes it a popular tourist spot. We drove past the distillery last September on our way to a golf course, planning to stop on our return. However, the humble facility, described on their website as a "tin shed," didn't impress us much. Coupled with bad timing, we skipped it, which I now regret after tasting this excellent product. The distillery first filled whiskey casks in December 2012 and later bottled it after the mandatory 3 years and a day. This particular taste was their Small Batch No.4 Release, bottled at a high 46.5% ABV. The single malt was triple distilled using specially designed stills with a boil ball to enhance spirit reflux. The company claims this results in a spirit of "remarkable smoothness and purity," and this proved to be entirely true. The whiskey was aged in various cask types, including ex-bourbon, ex-sherry (Oloroso & PX), and ex-port. It has a sherry-tinted amber appearance and a slightly subdued nose with hints of Oloroso. The palate is exceptionally smooth and rich in flavor and texture. Vanilla and malt are complemented by sweet sherry notes of dried fruits and nuts, leading into a delightful dry port finish. The combination of wine-influenced elements works wonderfully, creating a well-made, high-quality drink that I rate at 4.5 stars.

This lightly amber pour presents an aroma full of tropical fruit notes - orange is particularly prominent to me, but there are also hints of peach and pear. Additionally, there's a lively floral bouquet, along with a noticeable ethanol presence. If sampled blind, it would easily be identified as Irish due to its soft core, but with some bolder elements on the edges. The flavor profile differs significantly from many other Irish spirits. The citrus is present, and a general sweetness quickly coats the palate, but it can be somewhat aggressive at times, which likely contributes to its polarizing nature based on my observations. Peppery notes, cinnamon, apricot nectar, and some bourbon-like wood and vanilla are all detectable, though not simultaneously. Of the bourbon, sherry, and port cask finishes, the bourbon and sherry are more pronounced than the port, at least to my mature palate. I truly enjoy this whiskey and am satisfied with its somewhat high price, but I completely understand why it's not for everyone. It's the kind of whiskey you bring out every few months, rather than something like Redbreast 12.

The aroma begins with a subtle blend of sourness and bitterness from light sulfur, tart red berries, Concord grapes, and plantains, followed by roasted hazelnuts and chocolate-covered strawberries. It then shifts to a creamy vanilla pudding that transitions into candied ginger, cloves, and angel food cake, with a moderate ethanol burn. The taste has a medium body, starting creamy with sweet citrus that quickly turns to a mild sour and bitter spice. This slowly fades into cherry pie, sour apple, and dried figs, then moves to pickled ginger, cloves, and ashy oak, with a moderate ethanol burn. The finish is medium in length, featuring campfire ashes, chocolate-covered espresso beans, orange zest, sour cherries, and toasted marshmallow. Overall, this is an interesting spirit with its red berries, grapes, and creamy sweetness, but the strong sour and bitter notes were too much for me to truly appreciate it. I've heard positive remarks about Dingle and would be interested in trying their other products, but this particular one was unfortunately a letdown for me. A big thank you to a friend for the generous sample.

What does a person do with an hour to spare before their flight? Work, handle correspondence, or drink...definitely the latter. So after a quick stop at my mother's, I'm back at my preferred whiskey bar globally, Last Word. Six whiskies: Dingle batch 4, Method and Madness Single Malt; Springbank 21, HP 14 Loyalty of the Wolf; GoT Talisker and Laga....what an exciting variety to get me eager! Ah Dingle, little Dingle star, I often wonder... why you weren't available when I resided in Ireland. This is a dram I shouldn't really appreciate - it's light and appears simple on the surface...but it's not really simple, and all the elements harmonize very well. Excellent balance. It's definitely a dram that develops as you swirl it in your mouth and ponder. I thought batch 2 pot still was better, but this is still quite solid for a young dram.

I absolutely adore this whisky. I initially purchased it after attending a tasting event at the distillery in Dingle, Kerry. The bottle remained unopened for a year, until friends from Germany visited! The distillery tasting was fantastic; sampling whisky from sherry, port, and bourbon casks individually before trying the final blend was incredibly helpful in identifying the flavors. This insight carried over to enjoying the bottle with companions. It's a remarkably smooth whisky, a testament to its triple distillation. The aroma is creamy with notes of toffee. On the palate, it starts with alcohol, then transitions to vanilla, dried fruit, and malt, concluding with a pleasant warmth and a lingering finish reminiscent of biscuits.