The Whistler Double Oaked

Nose: Mostly mild grassy, cereal aromas. Some vanilla and fruity/floral orchard notes, but it's too subdued and the grain whiskey component is easily detectable (especially from the empty glass). It opens up with time, but not significantly, and a little water helps. Palate: A pleasant but monotonous arrival of sweet, cereal, malty flavors. Butterscotch and barley sugar appear as it develops, but the palate is generally uninspired and somewhat thin. The texture is silky yet watery. Finish: Short and quick, with the palate fading rapidly into a straightforward ethanol aftertaste. This is a generic, lower-mid shelf Irish blend that showcases the better aspects of its category without any of the drawbacks. Since the distillery only began producing spirit in 2019, this is a sourced product. They are discreet about their sourcing and don't reveal their suppliers, but to me, it strongly resembles a mix of Bushmills malt with grain whiskey (which could originate from anywhere). Although pot-still whiskey isn't listed on the label, I detected a characteristic unmalted barley aroma on the nose, though this might stem from the grain whisky. In any case, this is average and underperforming, yet undeniably easy to drink. Adding water enhances its approachability and sweetens the notes further, revealing a caramel fudge taste. This is a perfectly acceptable whiskey for casual drinking, but its price point places it in direct competition with Bushmills Black Bush, which is superior in every way. While tasting it, I kept wishing the malt content was 35% instead of just 20%. With more presence, it would have earned a full point higher. "Adequate": 74/100 (2.25 stars)

This is the second spirit from Boann Distillery I have tried. In general, it was quite fruity and light but lacked depth and complexity. The Double Oaked is a mix of 80% grain (corn) whiskey and 20% single malt (barley). It is then aged in ex-bourbon casks blended with ex-sherry casks. The Double Oaked is bottled at 40% ABV. Color: Burnt Gold The aroma was full of strong grassy scents with floral sweetness alongside hints of vanilla, honeysuckle, green apple, pineapple, banana, and melon. The flavor was fruity and nutty with notes of honey, cereal, banana, citrus fruits, and spice at the front but fades quickly. The conclusion is rather short and light with lingering notes of oak, citrus fruits, and oats.

The Whistler Double Oak is part of the core range from this new Irish distillery. It's actually the most entry-level of all their expressions. On the nose, it's coffee with marshmallows, cappuccino, milk & coffee; creamy and thick on the nose. It's like melted white chocolate. You can sense the grain whisky here. Honey & white chocolate. On the palate, it's a liquid blend of coffee and chocolate. Marshmallows, intense red apples. The aftertaste wasn't great, a little rough and grainy, with a pleasant peppery spice. Overall, my score for the first expression you should try from The Whistler is a solid 85 out of 100, which is an interesting score for a core range expression.

50ml mini bottle ($2.95) tasting series. Tasted neat. Pale yellow with full coating legs in the glass. The nose is floral grain, sweet, stone fruit, with just a hint of spice at the end. I tasted light brown sugar cereal and vanilla. It has a sweet and thin mouthfeel, with some ethanol bite. The finish is sweet and citrus, then dry grass, mineral, baking spice, and vanilla oak appear. The finish is above average length, dry, tingling, and then a lingering saline astringent sourness. This is a decent blended Irish whiskey; it might be better with ice to tone down the sweetness.

Matured in former bourbon and sherry casks. It has a pleasant, full flavor with a wonderful oily texture and long legs. The taste is dominated by honey. It pairs excellently with a cigar, and I truly savored it neat. The price is quite fair for this quality of whiskey. I would buy it again.

This blend is very thin with minimal character. It's certainly not as good as their 5, 7, or 10-year-old single malts. I'm sure it would be excellent for mixed drinks, but I prefer to drink whiskey neat. I would rather have their aged single malts.