I should really make some statistics about the number of Irish whiskeys that we reviewed here. I can assure you this number increased significantly over the last two years, mostly because of whiskey like this…
It seems Whiskybase launched a new website yesterday. I’m not entirely convinced and I’ll certainly have to get accustomed to some changes, but I do love the new search function (let’s be honest, the old one was a mess – but now the filtering is worse). I believe this is a good time to review their recent Irish single malt 1989 in the Archives series.
Ireland 27 yo 1989
(48,2%, Archives ‘Fishes of Samoa’ 2017, barrel #16223, 186 btl.)
Ireland 27 yo 1989Nose: there’s a good deal of fresh oak involved, but plenty of the fruity goodness as well. Banana, papaya, honey, lime. On the other hand citrus green tea, mint and floral oak. Hints of custard. Subtle mineral notes.
Mouth: even better. Really luscious tropical fruits. Tangerines, mango, kiwi, pink grapefruit, bananas, passion fruits. Pretty much all we were hoping for. Very warm and sexy, with a slight liqueur-like edge. Just a little chlorophyll from the oak.
This Irish malt reminds me of the Maltbarn bottling, but also of the Emerald Isle release. Both have this warm (rummy?) note that is also present here. Very, very good. Around € 285, but they’re always gone before you know it.
Score: 92/100