Knappogue Castle 12 Year Marchesi di Barolo Cask Finish

Entry 3/3 of Knappogue Castle's Cask Finish Series. The first two were absolutely fantastic, so I've got high hopes for this one. Let's dive in. Nose: A blend of green and red apple (more green) and pear. White and red grape. Banana, coconut, pineapple, and some raisin. Shortbread cookie, toffee, vanilla, malt, and custard. Stella D'oro Italian Biscuit. Very floral with potent oak. Exceptionally clean, with no hint of ABV. Just pure, delicious fruity, floral, and sweet notes. Palate: Abundant apple notes (both colors). Also plum, apricot, and pear. Raisin and cranberry. Banana and orange citrus. White and red grape. Key lime pie. More shortbread, malt, and toffee, and vanilla, now with caramel. Once again, powerful oak. It mirrors much of what I enjoyed about the nose, but exchanges some floral notes for citrus. Superb. Finish: Moderately long. Oak is prominent here. Some spice from the ABV finally emerges. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Red fruit notes persist, tucked away in the background. More key lime pie. Red apple, cranberry, plum, and raisin. It's drier but still somewhat sweet. A fantastic series. All 5/5 in my opinion. These three whiskies represent the peak of the Irish whiskey category. Take this one as an example. A solid base distillate (rumored to be sourced from Bushmills or Cooley?). Carefully aged in some of the finest casks. I'm not a big wine enthusiast, but I'd love to try Marchesi di Barolo to better understand the cask influence at play here. A brilliant concept by KC. The Jefferson's of Irish whiskey, but executed significantly better. My favorite Irish whiskey brand. I'd be keen to see what they can achieve with their own distillate. Regardless, this is an absolute winner. Only 1200 bottles produced. Buy it on sight.

A hectic summer prevented me from sitting down and doing tastings, but not from imbibing. I finally found a moment to pull a sample and just chill. I randomly grabbed this sample and thought to give it a go. Nose: Light and fruity sweetness greets the nose. Ripened pineapples, pears, white grape juice create a fruit basket of aromas. Marshmallows, vanilla wafers, and vanilla custard, malty chocolates (Whoppers), Rice Krispy treats provide the sweetness. Sprinkle in a bit of trail dust which adds some earthiness. Palate: Orchard fruits of pears, peaches, and apples, apricots, and cranberries touch the palate first. With a light cinnamon and oaky tinge, much of the nose is embodied: Vanilla custard, milk chocolate, marshmallows. Finish: A wonderful lengthy finish of oak and the three baking spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The tinge encompasses the palate keeping it alive. Overall: This is a solid Irish Whiskey with much to take in (and I am sure there are more aromas and flavors that I can sense but can’t pinpoint). The quality casks add depth, variety, and a delicate and balanced influence. A solid and seemingly very mature 12-year Irish Whiskey. Thank you to a friend for the great sample. [90/100][Tasted: 8/30/24]

This improves the complexity and fruit flavors compared to the 14 year Twin Wood. On the nose, I detect some tropical fruit, dry wood, and citrus. As is often the case with my Irish whiskey tastings, the aroma is superior to the taste. However, the palate is still pleasant, offering red fruit, strawberry candy, mild maltiness, tropical fruit, and toffee. Some bitterness and tannins emerge in the finish, but they provide a good counterpoint to the fruit. All in all, it's certainly an improvement over the 14 year for me. It's a positive that it's bottled at 46%, just like the 14 year. Whether I would purchase this again is irrelevant, as it was a limited production of 1200 bottles. I'm not convinced it's significantly better to justify the $30 price difference given I can get the 14 year locally for $45, but I will enjoy this bottle.

There's a lot to consider as the Knappogue Castle Marchesi di Barolo Cask evolves and develops. With every taste and smell, I uncover something new to appreciate, and it compelled me to search for a bottle nearby. While nothing might ever match the uniqueness and intrigue of the Knappogue Castle 1951, this expression makes a delicious and valiant attempt.

Less heavy than usual, sugary, with a pure ending and no sting

Perhaps the finest Irish I've experienced.