Weekend Briefs Nov. 2022: Irish Trilogy with Knappogue Castle and Three Swallows
A round-up of brief reviews from a recent weekend focused on Ireland— the home of my first real whiskey love. I still remember arriving at my mom’s log cabin, the kind you find out in the middle of nowhere down gravel roads, when she handed me a bottle of Green Spot to enjoy during my visit. I had never had a whisky so easy to drink and rich in flavor. Not that there was anything wrong with $20 bottles of Jameson, but Green Spot shed light on a new level of whisky.
When I returned home, I was disappointed that I could not find Green Spot anywhere. Nowadays, it is easy to find, but it was a rare treat at the time. Green Spot primed me to get into whisky and initially set me down the road of searching out more Irish Whisky. I loved Green Spot so much that I sought out Yellow Spot and Red Breast to expand my Irish horizons. Neither of those experiences was anything like my initial Green Spot revelation.
So here are three more reviews of mass-market Irish malts that I skipped over after moving on to scotch. These are all widely available and generally attractively priced in the United States. I was impressed by what I found. While I still prefer Green Spot over Knappogue Castle 12 Year, I thought the 14 Year was a massive step up from both and avoided becoming as over-saccharine as the Yellow Spot.
My love may lie in a maltier direction than most Irish whiskies offer, but Irish whisky will always be my first baby steps with whisky. On to the reviews!
Whisky Details: Knappogue Castle 12 Year, Bourbon Casks 40%
Nose: Gentle and sweet, malty cereal sugars, shortbread cookies, pastries, maple, pecan, mellow orange blossom and lemon zest.
Palate: Medium to light body, refined sugar, hints of citrus, malty pastries, rice crackers, unshelled pecans, gentle drying oak, citrus pith and rice pudding at the end.
Finish: Medium-length with a gentle drying and shortbread cookie.
Score: 4
Narrative & Notes: Inoffensive and sippable— this is the kind of whisky I want at a party where the company is more important than the beverage. The Knappogue 12 was gentle and well-balanced, ideally suited to disappear into the background of an evening. Beyond the blender sorting through casks at Bushmills or Cooley (internet sources give either as the source of the whiskey) to maintain the product, no one needs to spend a load of time thinking about and over-analyzing the whiskey. It is just not that sort of dram. It fits a mood and serves a purpose— nothing wrong with that!
Overall, enjoyable, though not memorable. At the price point, there are better options in the Scotch world, and I would also tend to pick Green Spot over this if I were in the mood for Irish.
Whisky Details: Knappogue Castle 14 Year, Bourbon and Oloroso Casks 46%
Nose: Dried fruits, black grapes, dark chocolate, malty pastries, fruit jam, polished wood, hints of leather, musty earth on occasion.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dried fruits, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, tobacco, dried grass, musty fruits, hints of an underlying earthiness, occasional shortbread and fruitcake.
Finish: Medium-length dried fruits and oak.
Score: 6
Narrative & Notes: Wow! This was a huge step up from the twelve year. The depth of flavors was considerably greater, and the cask took a more central role. The oloroso sherry influence ran throughout the flavor profile with chocolate and fruit. While sherry-driven profiles are not my favorite— and this was a tad artificial with chocolate and fruit Tootsy rolls at times— I was still impressed at how much more complexity there was than on the twelve year. While that is not a huge surprise, the abv has a nice bump up from 40 to 46%, and a few more years in the cask did not hurt either; I did not expect such a big jump in general quality.
Overall, a significant step up and enjoyable, sure to delight sherry fans looking to dip into Irish or provide something different to share with friends and family.
Whisky Details: Powers Three Swallow Release, 43.2%
Nose: Sweet cereals, pie crust, shortbread, toasted coconut, caramel, stained wood.
Palate: Medium-bodied, pie crust, buttery shortbread, vanilla, toasted coconut, oak, black pepper, ginger candies at the end.
Finish: Medium-length with butter pasty and hints of coconut.
Score: 4
Narrative & Notes: Though I awarded this the same score as the Knappogue 12 Year, I would give this a slight edge over the other whiskey. It had a nicer mouthfeel and finish, though the flavors were not much deeper. It was a delightful sipper without anything off or distracting about it. The Three Swallow was classic Midleton and reminded me a lot of the Jameson 18-Year Bow Street. While there was not a ton of depth to the whisky, it was a relaxing sipper for the end of the day. I thought it would be an ideal whiskey to share with friends, especially those new to whiskey. The abv and mouthfeel were approachable, and the flavors well-integrated. I could easily see this being someone’s gateway to the broader world of whisky, or even a comforting shelf staple dram one always has on hand.
