Greenore is the single grain Irish whiskey from the Cooley family. Previously there was an 8 years old and the highly praised 15 years old expression. Now they are accompanied by an 18 year-old, the oldest Irish single grain available. Well, not quite… there’s also a new Greenore single cask that’s 19 years old (cask #1798). But that one is only available at Dublin airport.
Greenore 18yo is bottled at 46% and the current batch is limited to 4000 bottles. In the UK it will be available soon, the rest of Europe will have to wait until mid February.
Greenore 18 yo (46%, OB 2011, 4000 btl.)
Nose: a mild nose (for a grain whiskey at least), with banana peel, apricot and sweet corn. Vanilla with a curious milky element, like a crème anglaise (custard sauce). A hint of cinnamon. Some honey and faint grassy / herbal notes. Overall quite smooth, oily but a little soft maybe. Hardly any synthetic notes that are common in other grain whiskies.
Mouth: balanced between very sugary grains (think frosted cereals) and plenty of spices from the oak (nutmeg, pepper). Pineapple syrup, banana, some coconut cream. Quite some vanilla again.
Finish: medium length, sweet but slightly harsh with spicy notes and oak.
Smoothness should be the keyword for this Greenore 18 Years. While it shows nice elements, it’s not perfectly smooth. Compared to Irish malt whisky, it’s also a little simple. Around € 80.
Score: 81/100