Enigma 2006 Single Malt Irish 10 yo

 

 

 

44,3°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Ireland

1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrels

Independent Bottling 

By William Cadenhead Limited 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This new Enigma bottling has everything to intrigue. For a start, it's officially 10 years old, but it's actually much older, having been distilled in 2006. Except that in 2016, it was imported to Scotland and re-racked into fresh Bourbon Barrels. It therefore spent 8 years in casks in Scotland, but that doesn't count, because an Irish Whiskey can only be aged in Ireland, otherwise it is downgraded and becomes an Irish Spirit. So the gentlemen at Cadenhead can only put on the bottle the number of years spent maturing in Ireland, and that's 10 years. But it's really an 18-year-old, which explains the low alcohol content, as it appears to be Cask Strength. I think I'm authorized to reveal that it's a Cooley, as I guessed it myself, the demonstrator only nodding when I said the name of the distillery. Only 726 bottles are on sale.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's fresh and fruity, a good slice of vanilla, freshly harvested cereals, pineapple and passion fruit, a zest of lemon, dry hay and coconut. A very fine pinch of salt, earthy notes, orchard fruits and delicate floral touches. On the palate, it's honeyed, smooth, sweet butter toast, pastry cream, woven rattan rolls, shortbread biscuits, mellow spices but with character, cinnamon, cloves. The finish is long and woody, with a return to fruit and flowers, thistle blossom, dried banana, nettle infusion, roasted wheat, slivered almonds, sourdough bread.       

In Short, 

A very good Irish Whiskey, fruity, full of vanilla and floral as we like it, very complex and bursting with character. It's a golden opportunity, because we've got an 18-year-old for more or less the price of a 10-year-old, and what's more, it's a perfect success. Given the small number of bottles available, I think you'd better hurry. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Dora Jar - Spell

An Irish Distillery 1990 The Fishes of Samoa 31 yo

 

 

 

52,9°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Ireland

Bourbon Barrel 

Independent Bottling 

By Archives 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Created in 2011, Archives, the dutch trading company, have released several single Malts from Ireland without ever revealing the name of the distillery they come from. But we can make our own investigations. In 1990, only 2 Irish distilleries made Single Malt: Cooley and Bushmills. In 2012, Cooley was sold to the Japanese Beam Suntory group. Its former owner, John Teeling, was no longer allowed to use the name of the distillery, but he still owned all the old casks, the oldest of which dated back to 1987. He could therefore have sold some of them to the gentlemen of Archives after 2012, without them being able to use the Cooley name. That's why I think it's Cooley, and the distillate doesn't really look like Bushmills, but of course I could be wrong. In any case, this is a 31-year-old aged in a single Bourbon cask, from which only 141 bottles were released. It is part of The Fishes of Samoa range, and as with all the others in the same range, the label features a fish from this archipelago, in this case an Acarauna Major Pinnis Cornutis, designed by Mark Catesby.

Let's Taste It : 

Vanilla and mango, a few other tropical fruits, banana, papaya, pineapple, a hint of lemon, cereals in the background, bursts of honey, floral and gourmet notes, flan, custard. It's slightly iodised, evanescent, a breath of fresh air, coconut. On the palate, candied corn, crème brûlée, exotic fruit festival, sweets, buttered bread, cut hay, delicate woodiness. The spices are barely perceptible, but give a fine breadth. Fairly long finish, slightl liquorice, fried butter, lots of vanilla and white fruits, honey, heart of palm. A delicate bitter note at the end.

 

In Short, 

An excellent bottling, delivering a full palette of tropical fruits. But that's not all: there are also costal, buttery and even cereal notes. In short, a real festival, with perfectly integrated alcohol and magnificent balance. Another great success from Archives. It's all the more sad that this little marvel is no longer available anywhere, and in any case the release price was far too high for me.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Caro Emerald - A Night Like This

Connemara Original

 

 

 

40°

Distillery : Cooley - Ireland

Ex-Bourbon Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 1999

Peated around 20 ppm

 

 

 

Connemara is not a brand that scrupulously respects Irish tradition. The juice is produced by double distillation and single malt, as in Scotland. We forgive them because they've done a good job. Here, Original has become an institution because it's the first peated whisky to be launched in Ireland in a long time.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Peach, pear, apple, all very ripe, which goes well with orchard fruits. Thick honey. The peat is light, a little earthy, quite cereal-like, with hints of wheat and puffed rice. A good dose of vanilla. Behind, floral essences, daisy, jasmine. A hint of limestone. Light on the palate, with cooked fruits. Malt, dry earth. Fresh, green, a dash of aniseed. Pleasant finish, not too short but not very consistent, with a slight return of greenery here too. A little dry. The aniseed returns after a while.

 

In Short, 

The nose is pleasant, the palate is barely decent and the finish is really short. On the whole, it's a bit inoffensive, but it's impeccable. It's not bad, but it lacks character. I think it's a nice synthesis of Irish and Scottish traditions. If you can find it for under 30 euros, it's perfect.

Score : 83

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Bow Triplets - Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears

Teeling Brabazon Bottling Series 4 13 yo

 

 

 

49,5°

Distillery : Cooley - Ireland

Port Casks and Carcavelos White Port Finish

Independent Bottling 

By The Teeling Whiskey Company 

Limited Edition

Single Malt

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

For the 4th edition of the Brabazon Bottling Series, a tribute to William Brabazon, Earl of Meath and President of Newmarket in the 17th century, the Teeling brothers have selected a fortified white Port wine called Carcavelos, for a 2-year finish, after the juice distilled in 2007 had spent 11 years in various Port casks. Only 10,000 bottles were produced, which would be sold in early 2021.

Let's Taste It : 

A few plants to start with, seaweed, tall herbs, then vanilla, sour candies, apricots, mentholated strawberries, holly, tart tatin. Heather. A lemon zest. Pear liqueur. Granny Smith apples. On the palate, well-balanced, sweet, seasoned with a few spices. Ginger, cumin, cinnamon. Not overpowering. On the other hand, the finish is peppery, almost explosive, quite long and very pleasant. Wood, star anise, honeysuckle. A touch of dry earth.

In Short, 

It's quite good, like the 2nd edition, but it's less to my taste, as I've never been a great fan of white port. The price seems a bit crazy to me. Why this sudden increase? The 3rd edition, although older, was cheaper.

Score : 87

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

   

                                          Beth Hart - Caught out in the Rain

Teeling Brabazon Bottling Series 2 Batch 2

 

 

 

49,5°

Distillery : Cooley - Ireland

Port Casks and Ex-Bourbon Barrels, Tawny Port Finish

Independent Bottling 

By The Teeling Whiskey Company

Limited Edition 

Single Malt

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

It was in 2017 that The Teeling Whiskey Company launched the Brabazon Bottling Series, in tribute to William Brabazon, 3rd Earl of Meath, who presided over Newmarket in the 17th century. The 2nd edition of the series is aged in 6 different Port casks aged between 7 and 16 years: 3 casks of Ruby Port, 2 casks of White Port and one cask of Tawny Port. This last cask is in fact a 2-year finish, the liquid having previously aged for 10 years in a Bourbon cask. The whole is blended, then bottled in 2017 in an initial Batch of 12,500 bottles. Following its success, The Company decided to release a 2nd Batch the following year, with the same alcohol content, the same recipe and the same number of bottles. It was this 2nd Batch that I tasted.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

On the nose, after a pinch of star anise, cinnamon, calva, mulled wine, white chocolate, salted butter toffee, cloves, wood resin, red apples, berries, blackberries, bilberries, damsons enter the dance. On the palate, the first impression is of wood and red fruits, raspberry, blackcurrant, then the spices rise, quite strong, paprika, star anise, coriander, curry, chilli. The finish is long enough, also spicy, woody, earthy, hot chocolate, malted milk, cereals.

 

In Short, 

Frankly, it's very sweet, easy to drink, fruity, spicy and deep. A great success. The value for money is a bit low, but it's worth buying if you're an amateur.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Joss Stone - Right to be Wrong

Teeling Single Grain 13 yo

 

 

 

50°

Distillery : Cooley - Ireland

Ex-Bourbon Barrels and Ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Finish

Independent Bottling 

By The Teeling Whiskey Company

Limited Edition

Single Grain

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

Originally, Single Grain was not supposed to contain an ounce of malted barley, but gradually it was combined with a blend of cereals. Here we have 95% corn alcohol and 5% malted barley alcohol. As the product is 13 years old, we can deduce that it comes from the Cooley distillery, of which the Teeling brothers bought 16,000 casks when their father sold the distillery to Beam Suntory. So this is an independent bottling, and a limited series, even if the number of bottles on sale is not specified. The 4-year finish in Bordeaux red wine casks adds a touch of originality that the Teeling brothers are accustomed to, within the strict framework of Irish whiskey tradition.

 

Let's Taste It :

Bordeaux makes its mark, with heather earth, forest fruits, berries, blackberries and gooseberries. There are also conifers, with fir, pine needles and resin. Varnished wood. Red plums. Bulk cereals, puffed rice, wheat, corn, oats. All in fine balance. On the palate, it's vinous, muscat grape juice, rich spices, tannins, fat earth. The finish is a bit light but very long and warm, on cola and oak bark. Damp undergrowth. Grapes burst on the palate.

In Short, 

A very fine marriage between grain alcohol and Bordeaux wine. The result is really pleasant, with hints of cereals and red fruits, it's very greedy. It makes you want to buy one, but unfortunately the value for money isn't very exciting.

Score : 87 

                                         To Be Listened While Sipping :

    

                                         Natalie Merchant - Carnival

Teeling Renaissance Series n°3 18 yo

 

 

 

46° 

Distillery : Cooley - Ireland

Ex-Bourbon Barrels and Ex-Muscat Wine Finish

Independent Bottling 

By The Teeling Whiskey Company 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

All Teelings aged over 7 years can only come from the Cooley distillery, from which the Teeling brothers left in 2012 with no fewer than 16,000 aged casks, before founding a distillery in their name in 2014. The 4 Renaissance editions have all been finished in different wine casks. This one, released earlier this year in a batch of 9,000, was finished for eighteen months in Muscat wine casks. As usual, at Teeling they try to add a touch of originality to tradition.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Baked apples, slightly acidic, delicately vanilla flavoured. The wine is clearly present, with pear juice, Chasselas grapes and sugar candy. Very nice balance. On the other hand, the palate seems a little too light compared with the very pleasant nose. Spices, turmeric, saffron, cumin, orange and quince jam, dried apricots. Red plums. Very long, woody finish, with hints of cereals and vanilla. Wheat, cola. Spring water, running between the rocks. Humus.

 

In Short, 

An excellent one, where the finish enhances the fragrances without losing the product's identity. With a slight downside on the palate, which didn't seem quite up to scratch. All in all, a very good juice, but unfortunately too expensive for what it is.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Joan Baez - Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands