Two Stacks The First Cut Irish Whiskey

This elegant Irish Whiskey is a blend by Shane McCarthy, Donal McLynn, and Liam Brogan from The Great Northern Distillery in Down, Ireland. It combines grain whiskey aged in virgin oak and bourbon oak (80%) with pot still whiskey matured in Oloroso sherry casks (8%), double-distilled malt aged in bourbon casks, and a small amount of peated malt aged in bourbon casks (12%). It's the first 5-part blend in Ireland bottled at 43.0% ABV. It begins aromatically with notes of grains, wood, fruits, herbs & spices. Its elegant development introduces flavors of melted butter on seeded bread with honey, butterscotch, blackberry & peach, leading to a balanced, medium-length finish with hints of toasty oak, black tea & brown sugar (remarkably unrefined, I know).

Flaviar Advent calendar day # 12. Nose: Tropical fruit, cereal, slight vanilla, mild nuttiness, honey. Detecting perhaps a tiny hint of peat? Palate: Salted caramel, toffee, mild lemon zest and vanilla. Strong fruitiness that's difficult to pinpoint exactly, somewhere between fig and cooked pineapple, surprisingly. Spicy toasted oak. Sweet but not excessively so. Smooth and creamy. Finish: Chocolate, oak, mild grain whiskey bite.

I'm increasingly finding that whiskies I enjoy most benefit from a cube of ice or a splash of water; often, just chilling it with ice does the trick. That was certainly the case here. There's a hint of sweetness and vanilla, along with toasted wood, and perhaps some fruitiness if I focus. There's no trace of smoke or peat, and it's not particularly spicy. It's enjoyable on its own or in a whiskey sour.

On the nose, I detect a lot of apple/pear, which I often find in Irish Whiskeys. The first few sips were acceptable, but not outstanding. The more I drank, the less I enjoyed it. It seemed young and somewhat harsh. Flaviar "The Irishmen".

Somewhat unimpressed with this one. Standard whiskey notes of butter, sweet toffee, and dried herbs. In the flavor, the tart sherry, earthy, nutty spice is fleeting. The taste fades quickly. Decent but wouldn't revisit.

Vanilla apple custard on the nose. The flavor is tart and fresh with a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is peppery. A little water helps to reveal more vanilla and fruit and make the finish slightly less peppery.