Blackwater 5yo 2019/2024 PMD II: Return of the Dragon

Blackwater 5yo 2019/2024 PMD II: Return of the Dragon

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
Golden
59.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, pears, leather, white grapes, honeydew melons, mint. With water, dried pears, dried pineapples, honeydew melons. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Honeydew melons, white grapes, peat, leather, lemon zest, pears, hints of smoke. With water, malted grains, white grapes, pears, hints of new plastic. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, mint, pears, white grapes, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Barrel BBL000052. Really quite fruity and flavourful for a young whisky. Irish whisky usually uses some pot still make to achieve this effect but there’s no hint of that here. Well made and delicious.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Grianstad an Tsamraidh

Dingle Grianstad am Tsamraidh

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
Dark gold
52.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, white grapes, vanilla, strawberry jam, cloves, cinnamon, prunes. With water, damson jam, cloves, white grapes, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, hot, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, black pepper, prunes, strawberry jam, cloves. With water, gooseberries, strawberry jam, cloves, black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, plums, strawberry jam, black pepper, brown paper. 

Comments: 

Quite fruity, lots of estery notes, but the whisky isn’t as funky as a pot still. Lots of winey notes too, and water brings out some of the cloves and pepper even more. Interesting dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Clonakilty Single Pot Still

Clonakilty Single Pot Still

Official bottling
Single pot still - Munster
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ink, magic marker, sour cream, cooked rice, raisins, white grapes, hints of icing sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Magic marker, cooked rice, malted grains, white grapes, honey, dark chocolate, white pepper, hints of orange blossom. 
Finish: Medium. Ink, molasses, sour cream, cooked rice, white grapes. 

Comments: 

A rather funky distillate, lots of fermented notes, particularly sour cream. But there is also a deep sweetness, with floral notes overlaying it. I’m still not sure about pot still whisky but it’s certainly something that stands out.

Verdict:

I like this.

Clonakilty Port Cask

Clonakilty Port Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
Golden, hints of pink
43.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: White chocolate, fresh cut grass, straw, raisins, raspberry jam, orange blossom, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Fresh cut grass, straw, raisins, honey, black tea, white chocolate, orange blossom, hints of toffee. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, white chocolate, orange blossom, straw, hints of toffee. 

Comments: 

Batch 44. Nice sweet notes of white chocolate and a very floral and fruity orange note too. It’s clearly malt, but it’s not very apparent till the finish. Sweet and luscious.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Conocht an Erraigh

Dingle Conocht an Erraigh

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
Amber copper
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, pineapples, green tea, apricots, honeydew melons, cloves, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, warm, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pineapples, pear drops, papayas, honeydew melons, cloves, vanilla, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Toffee, cloves, fresh baked bread, vanilla, pear drops. 

Comments: 

Fruity, with big notes of pineapples and honeydew melons. There’s a woody floral note on the nose as well. Perhaps it struggles slightly - even north of 50% the flavours are not too powerful - but it’s well constructed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dingle Conocht am Fomhair

Dingle Conocht am Fomhair

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Bright gold
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, apricots, pineapples, passionfruit, orange peel, cinnamon. With water, peaches, orange peel, cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Passionfruit, peaches, honey, dates, grapefruit, orange peel, cinnamon. With water, orange peel, vanilla, honey, cinnamon. 
Finish: Short. Cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, peaches. 

Comments: 

Fruity and rich, lots of tropical and stone fruit. Water brings out vanilla, honey and cinnamon. A very drinkable and straightforward whisky, slips down easily and smoothly, almost quaffable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Powers Gold Label 12yo First Release

Powers Gold Label 12yo First Release

Official bottling 

Single malt - Munster 
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, peaches, vanilla ice cream, malted grains, honey, hints of toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, cool, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peaches, apricot jam, vanilla ice cream, icing sugar, honey, hints of toffee. 
Finish: Medium. Apricot jam, peaches, vanilla ice cream, milk powder, hints of icing sugar. 

Comments: 

Peaches forever and a day, that’s what this tastes like. It’s got apricots as well, and a dusty sweetness that reminds me of icing sugar. Lovely delicious dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Waterford Hook Head 1.1

Waterford Hook Head 1.1

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
Amber gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Caramel, cinder toffee, yoghurt, lemon zest, autumn leaves, hints of mushrooms. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, airy, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sour. Yoghurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, autumn leaves, caramel, burnt sugar, hints of toast. 
Finish: Medium. Autumn leaves, yoghurt, lemon zest, burnt sugar, hints of mushrooms. 

Comments: 

Quite lactic and earthy, but with a deep, smoky toffee note. Bottled at 50% as with most Waterfords, so I never quite know whether to add water or not. For this one I decided not to, as I enjoyed the richness of that toffee note. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Waterford Organic Gaia 2.1

Waterford Organic Gaia 2.1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Pale copper
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, malted grains, mushrooms, pineapples, orange peel, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Cookie dough, malted grains, pears, pineapples, orange peel, honey, hints of shortcrust pastry. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, toffee, honey. 

Comments: 

Waterford usually smells like mushrooms when it’s first out of the bottle. It’s not something I’m a particular fan of, but after a while it fades to reveal toasty, vanilla and fruity, with a hint of pastry. It then moves to short and slightly weak finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Lunasa

Dingle Lunasa 

Official bottling
Single malt - Munster
White wine 
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Ink, iron filings, sandalwood, malted grains, white grapes, apricots, peaches, hints of walnut skins. With water, ink, pear drops, lemon juice. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Apricots, peaches, malted grains, walnut skins, white pepper, ink, hints of vanilla. With water, malted grains, white grapes, ink, lemon juice. 
Finish: Short. Ink, white grapes, malted grains, apricots. 

Comments: 

Plenty of bitter notes, but they’re buried quite deep. The surface notes are lightly fruity, even a little tart. But there’s something metallic and slightly chemical down underneath that.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Samhain

Dingle Samhain 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Golden, tinge of pink
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, raisins, white grapes, sandalwood, oak chips, apricots, hints of persimmons. With water, pear drops, apricots, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, cool, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Malted grains, ginseng, vanilla, apricots, white grapes, coffee, autumn leaves, hints of oak chips. With water, ginseng, black pepper, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, ginseng, autumn leaves, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Fruity and tart, lots of bitter notes are apparent, but not immediately. Needs a little bit of air, then the fruit dissipates somewhat. The finish is unexpectedly bitter and earthy.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Single Malt

Dingle Single Malt

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Bright yellow
46.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Photocopy paper, vitamin C tablets, lemon juice, sandalwood, pears, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Vitamin C tablets, malted grains, pears, fresh baked bread, white pepper, leather. 
Finish: Medium. Oats, fresh baked bread, pears, magic marker, honey. 

Comments: 

Finally, a Dingle core bottling. It’s rather tart, there’s a gritty citric taste that reminds me of Berocca tablets, but there’s also malt and cereals, with an estery edge. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Waterford Peated Ballybannon 1.1

Waterford Peated Ballybannon 1.1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Orange gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Farmyard, peat, hay, fresh cut grass, fresh baked bread, apple juice, hints of caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, mouth coating, airy, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Apple juice, farmyard, blue cheese, peat, dunnage, caramel, smoke, fresh baked bread.
Finish: Short. Dark chocolate, dunnage, apple juice, peat, smoke. 

Comments: 

Peated Waterford is new in my experience. It’s rather funky and farmyardy, with a good sweet core of apple juice and dunnage. The smoke is gentle and restrained.

Verdict:

I like this.

Waterford The Cuvée

Waterford The Cuvée 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mushrooms, cinnamon, salt caramel, tablet, honey, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sour. Photocopy paper, tablet, white pepper, sultanas, magic marker, hints of cookie dough. 
Finish: Medium. Cookie dough, vanilla, white pepper, cinnamon, hints of salt caramel. 

Comments: 

It’s got Waterford’s signature note of earthy mushrooms, but here it’s layered with sweet cookie dough, vanilla and some piquant acetone notes. Rather unique, but unbalanced.

Verdict:

I like this.

West Cork Black Cask

West Cork Black Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Dark bronze
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, vanilla, molasses, orange peel, cocoa nibs, white pepper, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Malted grains, brown paper, molasses, yoghurt, autumn leaves, cocoa nibs, sourdough bread, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Medium. Cocoa nibs, vanilla, molasses, white pepper, hints of autumn leaves. 

Comments: 

Earthy, bitter, with some yoghurty, lactic character. Slightly loose in body, could definitely have benefited from a higher ABV. It’s a blend, not a malt, so the flavours are a little softer.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tullamore DEW 18yo

Tullamore DEW 18yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Amber
41.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cinder toffee, strawberry laces, honey, candied oranges, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Aluminium foil, orange peel, strawberry laces, vanilla, honey, hints of cinder toffee. 

Finish: Short. Cinder toffee, vanilla, honey, green tea. 

Comments: 

Lots of sweet notes, but it’s rather bitter and feinty on the tongue. It’s not very complex, quite one note. Passable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Waterford Lakefield 1.1

Waterford Lakefield 1.1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Light gold 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, cinder toffee, nori, mushrooms, lemon zest, fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Cinder toffee, cream, lemon zest, nori, malted grains, petrichor. 
Finish: Short. Mushrooms, petrichor, cinder toffee, hints of butterscotch. 

Comments: 

Eartthy and mushroomy, some cinder toffee notes. Quite similar to other Waterfords. I’m less convinced terroir matters in whisky, it’s really about distillate and wood management.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dingle Batch 5

Dingle Batch 5

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, brass polish, coffee, lemon sweets, orange peel, vanilla, sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Brass polish, lemon sweets, pears, sultanas, chocolate, honey, vanilla, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, coffee, vanilla, pears. 

Comments: 

Sweet and complex, with a very clear flavour profile. It tastes older than it is, which bodes well for Dingle. It’s a little like Rosebank, which is high praise.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Waterford Bannow Island Edition 1.1

Waterford Bannow Island Edition 1.1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Pale golden brown 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, autumn leaves, lemon zest, marshmallows, sour cream, hints of magic marker, hints of mushrooms. With water, magic marker, lemon zest, photocopy paper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sour. Sour cream, malted grains, raisins, lemon zest, marshmallows, cinder toffee, cinnamon, hints of mushrooms. With water, cinder toffee, vanilla, marshmallows, hints of mushrooms. 
Finish: Short. Marshmallows, cinnamon, sour cream, magic marker. 

Comments: 

I’m a little wary of Waterford after some previous experiences, but this one met expectations. Lots of sweet flavours coalesce around an earthy, slightly savoury core. Quite pleasant.

Verdict:

I like this.

Gold Spot 9yo

Gold Spot 9yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Munster
Amber 

51.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, tutti frutti, honey, orange peel, fresh baked bread, vanilla sponge, desiccated coconut. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Vanilla, white pepper, orange peel, fresh baked bread, cornflakes, vanilla sponge, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, cornflakes, damson jam, vanilla sponge. 

Comments: 

Sweet and luscious, this is really quite rich and unctuous for an Irish whisky. Plenty of fruit and vanilla entwine a light distillate. Lots of white pepper and cornflakes complete a lovely dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.