I just had this sample last week and I think I’ve been sitting on it for little over two years when I got it from MvtZ at 2017’s Whiskybase Gathering. When I had it, I didn’t bother to look it up because I knew MvtZ had given me some really old Irish whiskey samples back then.

Little did I know that this was in that same parcel too, with it being Irish, but not old at all. At least, not compared to the 1930s Jameson that sat next to it. So, in a way, I tried it blind.

Generally, I’m not too big on Irish whiskey, as avid readers know, but with some exceptions to the rule. Which is true for everything in the world of whisky. There are always exceptions to every rule. Ever.

Anyway, a single pot still whiskey from Midleton Distillery, finished in Bordeaux wine casks. Two things I ‘generally’ don’t like all that much, so that could be interesting!

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Almost the middle between corn-like, sweet bourbon and dry grainy scotch. Corn syrup, dry oak, old apples.

Sip:
Again the combination of overdone sweetness and dry oak and grain. Old fruit, dusty grain and pulpy oak.

Swallow:
The finish has a bit of a spicy tinge to it, and the oak lasts very long. Very old fashioned, but also a tad simple.

What’s strange is that based on the tasting notes, I would never have bought a bottle of it. It reads like its incoherent, out of balance and overly sweet. Which it actually is, but for some reason it kind-of works. It’s a bit simple, there’s not too much depth, and I guess after half a bottle it will find its way to a bottom shelf, but it’s not bad at all.

84/100

Green Spot Château Léoville Barton, 46%, bottled in 2015, is available for just under € 50 in Germany and Switzerland. It’s about a tenner more elsewhere.