Still, this is a phenomenon in a glass and really blooms with a little water or a single rock.Ģ. But in that, it feels almost like a different whiskey. It was really hard to place this on the list. That spice and fruit merge on the long end as the soft wood helps to create a svelte finish that lingers just the right amount of time. The palate is bold with sherry oak next to nuttiness and hefty fruits that shine brightly next to a slight cedar and spicy tobacco underpinning. There’s a chewy fruitiness up top with notes of figs and dates next to nutty marzipan and … maybe … garam masala. Their sherried oak brings about a dialed-in depth to the whiskey that really helps elevate the Irish juice. The tripled distilled pot still juice is matured only in casks from Bodega Lustau in Spain. This dram really stands out amongst the line. In a perfect world, it would land closer to $150 rather than $300. This is a bottle we could see shelling out for on a very special occasion. Yes, this is expensive but damn if it isn’t f*cking delicious. We’d also argue this makes for a solid mixer if you’re looking to slant your old fashioned or Manhattan game towards the Emerald Isle. This is a great dram to help you embark on a deeper journey into Irish whiskey.

The end is long but doesn’t overstay its welcome as the spices, fruit, and oak fade away. The palate builds on those notes with a more Christmas spice, dried fruits, fatty nuts, a bit of maltiness, and a lingering sense of toasted oak. There’s a nice tobacco spice to the nose that meets the sherry fruitiness and oak notes. After 12 years, the juice is blended and proofed with County Cork’s soft spring water before bottling. The juice is a traditional triple distilled pot still whiskey that’s then aged in American and Spanish oak, which formerly held bourbon and sherry respectively. The other five bottles on this list are going to give you a similarly great drinking experience at a much more manageable price tag. That said, this landed last because of how spendy it is.

But goddamn it if this bottle doesn’t tempt us to do just that. It’s really hard to justify ever spending $500 or more for a single bottle of whiskey.

Those fruits and wood marry on the long and very velvety finish. That fruitiness narrows into cherry sweetness with a plummy chew as the cedar stays afloat amongst the toffee and subtle notes of vanilla. The whole nose is underpinned by a buttery/rich toffee poured over walnuts served inside a soft cedar box. There’s a matrix of tropical bananas and pineapple next to sweet orange and spicy orange zest with tart red berries popping in. Finally, the juice is blended into this masterpiece bottle. The juices are left to rest for 27 years in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-port casks, literally untouched for all those years. This whiskey is a blend of triple distilled pot still whiskey (that’s an Irish whiskey that’s made from both malted and unmalted barley).

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